UC Study Abroad Program is now fire safety conscious!

The University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) has recently made several great improvements to its website and to is orientation materials to help students studying abroad stay safe.

In their parent's guide, they have added a page about fire safety abroad and a link to our website!

In the student's guide to studying abroad, they've added a two-page section about fire safety, which includes our link as well.

Ines DeRomana, of UCEAP's Health, Safety, and Emergency Response deparment, made a fire safety flier with the help of the UC Santa Barbara Fire Marshall, which is distributed to students at orientations.

She is also in the process of creating a fire safety risk assessment form, powerpoint slides to show at orientations, and wallet-sized hand outs for students with emergency numbers and essential safety information.

Thank you so much to Ines DeRomana and to UC EAP for doing this important work! The goal of our foundation is to make this happen, and we are truly grateful.

THANK YOU, KATIE

By our third board meeting, we had a mission: create fire-safety one-pagers for students studying abroad.

Question: How could we condense all of this important, life-saving information into one, easily-readable page?

Answer: With the help of a brilliant designer, Katie Sadow.

Now the one-pagers are done and we are ready to start our campaign to make study abroad orientations fire-safety conscious.

Below is the U.S.A. fire safety sheet, but please go look at other countries and the generic study-abroad sheet by clicking around on Sarah's beautiful emergency number poster.

We couldn't have done it without you, Katie. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to JUSTICE.

Study abroad Fair at University of Florida

Congratulations to the Justice team. Yesterday we were at our first study abroad fair at the University of Florida. It was a total success, met all potential study abroad students and all organizations that cater services for their travel around the world. We were welcomed with the open arms.

All justice team members and volunteers had one to one conversation with the students and staff about their fire safety and Firesafetyfoundation.org was introduced, our brochures and flashlights were distributed.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members, volunteers to make this grad event possible, together we will save lives.

Study abroad Fair at University of Florida

We are proud to be here with all the Gators at the UF tonight.
Tomorrow we will introduce J.U.S.T.I.C.E & Jasmine's firesafetyfoundation at the UF study abroad fair to the students and staff. I would like to thank the UF staff and the Justice team for making this happen. Together we will save lives. Thank you Shahrzad my dear sister and Nadia wonderful niece to travel with me to Gainesville to cooperate.

Thank You Megan you are truly brilliant.

Thank you so much for your support of proclaiming September as Campus Fire Safety Month across the nation. 36 states have made the proclamation--that's 3 more than last year and the most states that have done it in a single year so far!

To truly make September Campus Fire Safety Month, it is time for you to spread fire safety awareness on your campus, at your workplace, and in your home. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Post fliers with fire safety tips on your campus or at work: http://firesafetyfoundation.blogspot.com/2011/09/take-action-post-fire-safety-tip-fliers.html

Know any students abroad? Send them a fire safety poster or a country specific fire safety fact sheet (currently available for the top 15 study abroad locations): http://www.firesafetyfoundation.org/education/safety-posters.html

Brush up on your own fire safety education: http://www.firesafetyfoundation.org/education/make-a-plan.html

And don't forget to test your smoke alarm!

Take Action! Post Fire Safety Tip Fliers for Campus Fire Safety Month

Post fire safety tip fliers on your campus to help spread fire safety awareness among your peers!

Education is the best way to prevent fires and fire fatalities, yet for most of us our fire safety education ends at an early age. In an effort to help make fire safety facts common knowledge, JUSTICE volunteers are posting fliers all over campus at UC Berkeley and the University of Florida.

As you read in the last post, when people know what to do when a fire breaks out, they survive!

So help spread the word, and click here to download and print the fliers!

Students Forced Out By Early Morning Fire: Fire Alarms and Immediate Action Saved Every Life

WCVB Boston

BOSTON -- Forty residents, most college students, were forced out of their apartment early Monday morning by a three-alarm fire.The fire started in the basement of a six-story building on Hemenway Street and Westland Avenue in the Fenway area of Boston just before 3 a.m.

"We just woke up to alarms and smoke. As we all ran as fast as we possibly could. It just kept getting bigger and bigger, so we ran down the street," one displaced student said.

The flames spread through the building and shot through the roof. Investigators said the fire started in the duct work.

"This building is one of the safest in the city. It has smoke detectors; it has sprinklers; emergency lights -- with all that stuff in place, the upper floors were still filling up with smoke. The kids were lucky they left when they were supposed to. So that worked out well, and nobody got hurt," said Boston Fire Deputy Chief Joseph Fleming.

Berklee College confirmed that three of the displaced residents are students at school. The college said it will work with the students to help find alternative housing. Boston's Office of Neighborhood Services and the YMCA is also working with students to find housing."I don't know what to do as far as living. We start classes tomorrow," one student said.The fire caused about $400,000 in damage. No one was hurt.

Read more: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/29081673/detail.html#ixzz1XKU5vi66

JUSTICE Will Save Lives: The Fire Safety Kit is Now Availabe

One of JUSTICE's primary services is to put fire safety kits in the hands of students studying abroad. Thanks to our talented webmaster, Omid Zad, the JUSTICE online store is now complete so that students can order these personalized kits at a reduced price. We also offer free kits to students demonstrating financial need.

I cannot emphasize how much research went into selecting the specific equipment for our kits. We wanted a balance of affordable, functional, portable, and most importantly, reliable. Below are specific descriptions of each item in our online store.

Photoelectric Smoke Alarm and Escape Light

This battery operated smoke alarm reduces nuisance alarms from cooking smoke and shower steam due to photoelectric smoke sensing technology. The included escape light illuminates a path to safety when in alarm. A mute feature silences nuisance alarms from cooking smoke or shower steam. A single button also tests alarm functions. The alarm has an easy access battery drawer so there is no need to remove alarm from ceiling to change the battery. The alarm includes a 10-year limited warranty and meets UL standards. JUSTICE highly recommends purchasing the alarm with the 10-year battery, but you should always check your alarm once a month.

We suggest that you purchase your smoke alarm/emergency light before your departure so you have it from the moment you move in. We can ship kits to your home prior to departure, or to the Study Abroad Office at your host university.

Where To Place Smoke Alarms?

One in every bedroom, and at least one on every level of the home.

• Bright escape light, activates with alarm to illuminate a path to safety.
• Photoelectric smoke sensing, optimal protection from smoldering fires. Plus, reduces false alarms like those caused by cooking fires and shower steam.
• Mute button, mutes unnecessary alarms immediately. Also tests alarm function with same button.
• Eco-friendly, completely recyclable as an electronic device.
• Easy-access battery door, no need to remove alarm from ceiling to change battery.
• Optional theft-prevention lock, when activated, batteries and/or alarm cannot be removed without proper tools.
• 9v battery included.
• Loud 85db alarm.
• 10-year limited warranty, smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years for maximum protection.
• Meets UL217 standard.

Fire Extinguisher

It is unsafe to extinguish most fires with water. Instead, a fire extinguisher will safely put out a fire before it can grow. Checking a fire safety kit as extra baggage can cost between $50 and $200 depending on the airline. You can also pay our international shipping rate to have your kit shipped to the Study Abroad office at your host university.

These extinguishers are usually rated for multiple-purpose use. They contain an extinguishing agent and use a compressed, non-flammable gas as a propellant. Dry chemical extinguishers are rated for use in A, B, and C fires.

Dry chemical extinguishers put out fires by coating the fuel with a thin layer of fire retardant powder, separating the fuel from the oxygen. The fire retardant powder works by suffocating the fire, inhibiting the release of combustible vapors and interrupting the combustion chain reaction, which makes these extinguishers extremely effective. Watch the following video to learn how to use your fire extinguisher.

Balcony Fire Escape Ladder

Kletterfix fire escape ladders are compact and can be deployed quickly. They can be used where standard escape ladder hooks cannot be placed over the wall/sill safely or when the ladder needs to be hooked over a balcony railing. In an emergency the strong metal hook of the ladder is hooked either over a wall-mounted steel bar attached underneath or above the window or the hook is placed over a balcony railing. Where needed, the wall-mounted bar is fitted to the wall with strong screws (provided). Size of the bracket: 305x70mm.

Kletterfix is the most compact metal fire escape ladder in the world. It is made in Germany from steel rope and aluminium rungs. This mobile rescue ladder is TÜV-certified to the German standard BGI 638 and is used in over 50 countries by individuals, Fire Brigades and Rescue Services.

The Kletterfix escape ladders come in different lengths and you can choose ladders with or without distance pieces designed to keep the rungs off the wall and therefore offering your feet a better hold. However, if you descend from a protruding balcony, no distance pieces are required, as there is no danger of the feet pushing against a wall. But whenever using the ladders for the escape from a window or along a wall surface you will need the ladder version with distance pieces.

Fireproof Multilevel Escape Ladder

A fire escape ladder is essential in any building that does not provide its own fire escapes. We suggest the Saf-Escape Fire Escape Ladder because you can store it in a compact place, and the metal ladder is fireproof in the event of an escape. Checking a fire safety kit as extra baggage can cost between $50 and $200 depending on the airline. You can also pay our international shipping rate to have your kit shipped to the Study Abroad office at your host university. Be sure to review the following information to be sure that you pick the appropriate ladder size.

• Window width should be a minimum of 13"
• Suitable for most standard windows
• 11.5 inch wide rungs
• Chain tension tested to 1000 pounds in weight
• Manufactured of heavy duty zinc plated 18 gauge steel
• Designed for quick & easy deployment with tangle free steel link chains
• Ladders store easily under bed or window
• Stand offs included to keep ladder away from building (quantity varies by model)
• Stand offs MUST be assembled by customer prior to use.
• Adjustable positioning of the stand offs can help avoid windows beneath escape.