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At UCL, the safety of our students and staff is a top priority. We appreciate your support in ensuring that UCL halls are a safe and secure environment to live in.
This page was updated on 19 September 2023
If you are a student living in one of our nominated Unite halls or in urbanest King's Cross there is further information regarding their regulations located on their fire safety page.
urbanest King's Cross
All UCL halls have extensive and robust fire safety arrangements in place. These measures have been developed in consultation with the UCL Fire Safety team and include:
- Comprehensive fire risk assessments every three years. The findings of the fire risk assessments for your building are available from the UCL Fire Team.
- A fire safety handbook which details the fire and emergency arrangements and management arrangements to deal with incidents.
- Liason and engagement with the local fire authority.
- Preventative and protective measures to mitigate the impact of fire in the building.
- Protective measures
- Fire compartmentation and fire doors to provide barriers to fire spread and protect escape routes.
- Comprehensive fire detection and alarm systems provide building occupants with early warning of fire to assist with building evacuation.
- Firefighting equipment – Multipurpose water mist extinguishers are provided throughout the escape routes suitable for classes of fire relevant to your building. Fire blankets are also provided in kitchens.
- Preventative measures
- Provision of information, instruction, and training, including student induction programmes.
- Student regulations which prohibit hazardous equipment and activities - you can find more information in your General Regulations for your hall via the Fees, guidance and payment webpage.
- Termly room checks to confirm compliance with the student regulations.
- Building inspections and management arrangements - with a fire risk assessment review taking place annually, alongside local management weekly inspections.
- Inspection and maintenance of equipment installed within the halls.
- Routine functional testing of fire precautions.
- Termly fire evacuation drills.
- Clearly marked evacuation routes and smoke ventilation systems.
- Students with Additional Requirements
Students with hearing, vision and/or mobility differences will be asked to complete a Fire Evacuation Plan shortly after arriving in the Halls.
All UCL Accommodation is equipped with hearing impaired fire alarms (DMS/HFAS/VAD). Specific information about UCL Halls is available on the individual hall webpages in the building accessibility table.
If any students require fire safety information in an alternative format, they can contact the Accommodation Office.
All UCL Accommodation residents must complete the mandatory fire safety activities after their arrival.
- Complete the Fire Safety Familiarisation Induction on the UCL Accommodation Portal
- Attend a fire safety walk in their building
These mandatory activities ensure that all residents are familiar with their building, what to do if there is a fire and how to evacuate in an emergency. Failure to complete these activities will put the resident at risk of receiving a fine.
More information on UCL’s fire safety can be found on our Safety Services webpages.
- Fire Safety guidance for students
- Smoking, including E-Cigarettes, is not permitted in you accommodation (or any UCL premises)
- The use of candles, incense, fireworks, hookah and shisha pipes, Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) are not permitted in your accommodation
- Always, switch off all electric appliances and lights when you leave your room and at night
- Do not use paper light shades or paper masking on any light fitting
- Do not use plastic or wicker waste paper bins and empty waste paper bins every day
- Never hang washing on or near heaters and do not obstruct in any way the airflow around all types of heaters
- Never leave the kitchen when you are cooking food and be especially careful with hot fat and oil
- Do not cook or use cooking equipment in your bedrooms and BBQ's are not permitted
- The use of portable heating in your room is strictly forbidden
- Do not bring hazardous substances into your room even from laboratories or other UCL premises
- Do not store any items in escape route corridors and staircases
- Portable Light Electric Vehicles (PLEV’s) are prohibited from UCL space and accommodation, this includes; E-bikes, E-scooters, E-skateboards and E-unicycles, any found will be removed by security with immediate effect
Access your halls General Regulations via the Fees, guidance and payment webpage.
- Fire alarms
Fire Alarms are provided to give warning in case of fire, as smoke and fire can spread very quickly. Always leave the building on hearing the alarm (for more than a minute) in an orderly manner by the nearest available exit. Information to familiarise yourself with your escape routes and Fire Assembly Point can be found on the back of your bedroom and kitchen door.
To prevent accidental activation of smoke detectors:
- Do not cook (including toasters) in bedrooms and only use designated kitchens, keeping the fire doors closed at all times
- Do not use any spray under or near the smoke detector
- Do not use a hairdryer or hair straighteners under or near the smoke detector
- Please ensure that hair straighteners are unplugged when not in use
- Be careful with the positioning of combustible materials near electric points
- Smoking, including E-Cigarettes, is not permitted in your accommodation
- Candles and aromatherapy burners are not permitted
- Humidifiers are not permitted in your accommodation
Any person found interfering in any way whatsoever with fire-fighting equipment or alarms, other than for proper use, will be fined and necessary action taken as appropriate. Frivolous discharge of fire extinguishers will be charged to the individual or to all residents of the hall if the individual responsible is not known.
- Building Safety Act
The following UCL Accommodation buildings come under The Building Safety Act 2022, which sets safety requirements for buildings that are at least 18m or 7 storeys high:
- One Pool Street
- James Lighthill House
- New Hall
- Schafer House
- Goldsmid House
- John Dodgson House
- Ian Baker House
- Astor College
- Frances Gardner House
UCL will be developing Building Safety Cases for these buildings to detail how the building is kept safe.
If you have concerns about your building safety in any of the Student Accommodation buildings please contact your hall managers in the first instance, by emailing your hall team.