Fire Safety Regulations

There will be one fire drill conducted by the college per semester in each house. Failure of individuals to evacuate a house may result in conduct action.

Students with any special needs in the case of an emergency should contact either the Office of Residence Life or the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC). False reporting, damage or misuse of fire safety equipment is strictly prohibited and will result in a referral to the College Community Standards Board.

Student rooms will be inspected. A room will be re-inspected in the case of a violation. Violations include prohibited appliances; objects obstructing corridors, stairways or sprinkler systems; cords of any type across doorways or under rugs; frayed cords; open flames and potentially hazardous decorations; smoke alarms that have been tampered with; and objects draped or hung from the sprinkler pipes, curtain rods, doorways, or tacked up on the walls. Students are required to clear hallways and public areas of personal items and be in compliance with the college’s Health, Fire and Safety policy. Failure to comply will result in those items being discarded, and fees will be assessed to the student(s), residents of the corridor, or the entire house and possible disciplinary action.

Decorations

Material used in the decoration of any college building or student room must be either flame proofed or inherently nonflammable. Trees and wreaths are examples of flammable materials and are not allowed.

Items that cannot be used for decorations include: branches, live or dry wreaths, dry plants of any type or any item made from highly combustible material.

A bulletin board and nametags are the only items allowed on the outside of the doors of student rooms. Other decorations in corridors, on walls or on student doors are forbidden. Students will be required to remove items from doors and/or walls adjacent to student rooms. Failure to comply with these policies may result in disciplinary actions or fees.

Flammable Materials

Candles, incense, scented lamps and open flames of any kind except for cigarette lighters and matches are prohibited in houses and student rooms. Kerosene, gasoline, other flammable liquids or flammable covers, paper shades and decorations on light fixtures are strictly forbidden. LED strip lights and lava lamps are not permitted. Such items will be confiscated whether or not they are in use. Open-flame devices, such as candles, are extremely dangerous in a high-density, residential setting and are forbidden.

An exception may be granted to this policy for the purpose of allowing smudging, the private, religious or spiritual use of sage, sweet grass, or cedar smoke in accordance with their well-established manner of use within the Native American ceremonial traditions for the purpose of purification and prayer. Students must complete an Exception Request, available from the Director of Religious and Spiritual Life or designee. If a student receives approval, only the student who receives approval may privately generate a minimal amount of smoke using sage, sweet grass, or cedar. Failure to observe the strict safety standards of this Exception Request Policy will result in revocation of the exception and sanctions already specified for violation of the Residential Life: Security & Safety Policies.

Appliances

Radios/music players, clocks, speakers and/or speaker systems, amps and music accessories, television sets, lamps, hair dryers, humidifiers, electric blankets, computers, printers, and single-serve, pod-based coffeemakers (like a Keurig®), and lightweight refrigerators no larger than 3.5 cubic feet in capacity may be used in student rooms only if the appliance(s) meet the testing and performance standards of the Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) and do not have an open heat source. Students cannot use any type of air conditioner in their room unless approved by the Accessibility Resource Center. All other small cooking appliances can only be used in the house kitchen or kitchenette. Examples of these are: rice cookers, panini makers, crockpots, air fryers etc.)

Irons may be used only on ironing boards. Ironing boards are provided in the houses. Curling irons and flat irons are permitted, but must be used in well-ventilated areas and unplugged and turned off after each use. All irons, curling irons, flat irons, and other similar heating appliances must cool completely before storage.

Permission to use ultraviolet and other sunlamps must be obtained from the Accessibility Resource Center.

Extension cords, no longer than six feet, must have the UL approval and must be in good condition. Cords that are not UL approved will be removed. Cords must not be run under rugs. Please be mindful that overloading the circuit will cause power outages. The safer power strip is a UL-approved model with an integrated circuit breaker that cuts power during overloads.

Smith College reserves the right to remove items in student rooms that violate safety regulations.

Smoking

Any smoking, vaping, or juuling of any substance is not allowed in college-owned buildings (see Smith College Smoking Policy).

Guidelines for Action in the Event of a Fire

The following guidelines are issued to provide you with procedures that should be followed by everyone who either detects a fire or is responding to a fire alarm in a Smith College building.

Section A: Discovery of a Fire

If you see smoke or flames, remember PACE:

Protect yourself by removing yourself from danger. Assist others who need help, if safe to do so.
Alarm by pulling the nearest fire alarm pull station while you evacuate.
Contain the fire by closing doors and windows.
Evacuate the area. If fire is blocking your exit, search for another route or Extinguish the flame if you have no other option.

If safe to extinguish, remember PASS:

Pull the pin on the fire extinguisher.
Aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
Squeeze the handle on the extinguisher.
Sweep the extinguisher from side to side at the base of the fire.

If you are unable to evacuate, seek an area of refuge that is far away from the fire and smoke. Isolate yourself with a fire extinguisher, and call 413-585-5555 to notify Campus Safety of your location. Look for stairwells or areas labeled “Fire Barriers” or “Smoke Barriers.”

Section B: Building Evacuation/Fire Alarm Activation

When a fire alarm is activated in a building, or direction to evacuate is given by Campus Safety or local law enforcement, every person in that building is required to evacuate immediately. As you leave:
1. Turn off any equipment that could start a fire.
2. Close all doors and windows.
3. Ensure that the last person out of the room closes the door after leaving.
Follow exit signs to evacuate via the closest exit.
Do NOT use elevators—elevators are not operational when a fire alarm is active.
If you are unable to use the stairs to evacuate, retrieve a fire extinguisher and go to the nearest stairwell, if safe to do so. Call Campus Safety at 413-585-5555 to let them know where you are.
1. Close the door to the stairwell to ensure no smoke can enter the stairwell.
2. If the stairwell begins to smell like smoke, consider evacuating to a different stairwell or smoke barrier, if safe to do so. Call Campus Safety again to report that you changed locations.
Once out of the building, report to your designated assembly area for roll call or get at least 100 feet away from the building.

Section C: Accommodations

Reach out to the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) if you need a personalized emergency action plan developed due to an access or functional need.
Please inform the ARC or Residential Life if there’s an animal in your room—if the college isn’t aware of a service animal, they will not know to inform the fire department.

Section D: In Case You Catch Fire

Should you catch fire, stop, drop to the floor and roll. Rolling smothers the flames.
Never run if you are on fire. Running fans the flames to a greater intensity.
If you see someone on fire, help them to stop, drop and roll. Wrap them in a blanket to smother the flames.

Updated July 2026