Housing options abound in Pembroke NC, and the majority of university students live off-campus. Unfortunately, statistics show the risk of fire-related injury is significantly higher in off-campus residential facilities; almost 80% of fire-related deaths in student housing occur in off-campus facilities, according to the Center for Campus Fire Safety. The leading factors in these fatalities often include: lack of automatic fire sprinklers, missing or disabled smoke alarms, careless disposal of smoking materials, and alcohol consumption.

Since off-campus housing presents higher fire risks, it is important for you to possess basic fire safety awareness, and familiarize yourself with the specific fire safety issues of your off-campus home. Ideally, you should address the following fire safety concerns when choosing an off-campus residence, and use them as guidelines for a safer life off-campus. Although some of the suggested precautions may not be available in single family homes and duplexes, and may not even be required by certain building codes, you should consider all of these issues when answering the question, “How safe is your off-campus home?”