Kitchen Fires in Campus Housing
This safety information is intended to help on-campus residents prevent fires when cooking and respond if a fire occurs.
Staff & Contacts List
Safety measures for lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are used supply power to many kinds of devices including smart phones, laptops, e-scooters, e-bikes, and e-cigarettes, and are used in University operations and research applications. Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) encourages personnel and students to follow safety practices to reduce the possibility of a reaction, fire, or explosion when handling, charging, storing or disposing of lithium-ion batteries.
Storage
Do not block campus fire lanes
When 9-1-1 is called on the Seattle campus, UW Police and Seattle Fire Department emergency vehicles will use designated fire lanes to get to the scene of the emergency quickly. It is critical that campus fire lanes are kept clear at all times to avoid emergency responders losing time getting to someone who needs help.
Find the nearest defibrillator to help save a life
The UW community can help save a life by knowing where automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are located in University buildings before a sudden cardiac arrest occurs. PulsePoint provides a map of AED locations and a free app that allows smartphone users to easily find AEDs at UW locations.
Hazardous Material Disposal and Recycling
University personnel have the following options for getting rid of hazardous materials and potentially contaminated supplies and equipment.
Note: Not all options are available for all items.
Fire & Life Safety Survey Explanations
Below are questions asked during Fire & Life Safety Surveys and explanations for each question.
Evacuation Topics for Individuals with Disabilities
Faculty, staff, students and visitors who may have difficulty exiting during a building evacuation are encouraged to consider these options in advance of spending time at a University location to prepare for building emergencies and evacuations, including fire drills.
PLAN
Individuals who have a mobility, visual, auditory, or other condition (temporary or permanent) that may make evacuation difficult are encouraged to:
Preventable fire alarm initiative
Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division launched an initiative to avoid “false” (preventable) alarms.
Preventable alarms include:
Plan for emergency evacuations in a hybrid work environment
University units and departments that establish hybrid work schedules need to ensure adequate coverage for evacuation wardens in the event of an emergency that requires evacuation. Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) recommends University units and departments train as many evacuation wardens as possible within their work areas to ensure there is at least one warden on site at all times during normal business hours.
Fire Extinguisher Safety Focus Sheet
Follow the guidance in the Fire Extinguisher Safety Focus Sheet to prepare to use a fire extinguisher safely.