If there is smoke from cooking in your room, or if the smoke detector in your room sounds, open the windows and turn the fans on to ventilate. Do not open your door! The detector in your room only sounds in your room. Opening the door triggers the smoke detectors in the hallways, which leads to an evacuation of the entire building and a response from the Palo Alto Fire Department.
In past years, several fire alarms woke up the residents of the building in the early morning hours. All were related to cooking smoke getting into the hallways. Given the nuisance that such alarms cause to all residents, as well as the importance of fire safety for your own well being and the safety of your fellow residents, your CAs prepared are now providing you with this information about cooking, and how to avoid fire alarms. Please take the time to review it carefully.
Fire alarms that are "only" caused by cooking accidents could lead to a false sense of security that the next alarm is also just due to cooking smoke. This is extremely dangerous! Here are a few reminders:
In past years, residents expressed concerns regarding smoking in the rooms and on the outside stairs.
The University Residence Agreement states: It is the policy of Stanford University that smoking of tobacco products in enclosed buildings and facilities and during indoor and outdoor events on the campus is prohibited. In University residences, this includes all interior common areas, individual rooms and apartments, covered walkways, balconies, outdoor areas where smoke may drift into buildings, and during organized indoor and outdoor events. Violations of this policy will be forwarded to the Residence Dean and may result in loss of University housing privileges. Smoking is permitted in outdoor areas, except during organized events. Outdoor smoking areas must be at least 20 feet away from doorways, open windows, covered walkways and ventilation systems to prevent smoke from entering enclosed buildings and facilities.
This implies:
The assistant university fire marshall provided us with the following additional information.
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM INFORMATION - Like all residences on campus, Studio 2 is equipped with a local and a monitored fire alarm system. Local smoke detectors are installed inside every studio apartment. When activated these detectors emit a local alarm which is intended to wake-up or otherwise notify the occupant that there is smoke inside the studio. The corridor and common areas of the building are equipped with monitored smoke detectors. These units are connected to a fire alarm control panel and when one smoke detector is activated the entire building will go into alarm. Upon activation the alarm will prompt dispatchers to send a full high rise dispatch to your building, which includes two engines, a ladder truck and a Chief Officer. Note from the CAs: in the case of Studio 2, a single engine is usually dispatched for fire alarms, not a high rise response.
SAFE COOKING PRACTICES - The most common cause of fires on campus are cooking fires. Unattended cooking is the main reason for these fires, so please if you are cooking do not leave your stove even for a minute, if you need to leave turn the stove off. Due to the configuration of the studio apartments the stoves have been positioned near your apartment door. If you overcook something on the stove or inside the oven please do not ventilate your studio by opening the corridor door. Open the window instead, if you open the door the monitored smoke detector in the corridor will sense the smoke and activate the building's fire alarm system and dispatch the fire department.
IF YOU DO HAVE A REAL FIRE - If you can, turn off the heat and place a lid, cookie sheet, or wet towel over the top of the pot. Never put water on a grease fire and never, never try to carry the burning pan to the sink. This can result in spilling of the hot content on you which in turn causes severe burn injuries. If all of this is too much, just get out of your apartment, activate the closest fire alarm pull station and exit the building via the stairway. Never exit a building using the elevator when the fire alarm has been activated. Once outside go to your emergency assembly point and when the fire dept. arrives it is alright to approach the firefighters and tell them where the fire is located.
Please feel free to contact the CAs if you have any questions about this.