• Board and care facilities
• Hotels and motels
• Fires in vacant buildings
• School fires
• Religious and funeral properties
• Campus and dorm fires
• Campus and dorm fire safety tips
• Deadly fires involving college students
• Oil refineries
• High-rise buildings
• Nightclubs/assembly occupancies
• Nursing homes

Campus and dorm fires

Look for fully sprinklered housing when choosing a dorm or off-campus housing. Read all of NFPA's campus fire safety tips and download our free safety tip sheet. AUDIO Judy Comoletti, NFPA Division Manager of Public Education, talks about campus fire safety. Safety considerations for parents  Safety tips for students Prevent a fire from starting

The number of reported fires in the dormitory occupancy group increased 17% from 3,200 in 1980 to 3,740 in 2009. Fires fell in the range of 2,300 to 2,700 from 1982 through 1995, and then declined further in 1996 to 1998. Estimates rapidly increased after 1998, until becoming somewhat more stable in recent years.

Facts & figures

• In 2005-2009, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 3,840 structure fires in dormitories, fraternities, sororities, and barracks. These fires caused an annual average of 3 civilian deaths, 38 civilian fire injuries, and $20.9 million in direct property damage. Note: Dormitories include school, college and university dormitories; fraternity and sorority houses; monasteries; bunk houses; barracks; and nurses’ quarters.
• Between 2005-2009, cooking equipment was involved in 81% of the reported dormitory fires; this includes confined or contained fires.
• Structure fires in dormitories, fraternities, sororities, and barracks are more common during the evening hours between 5-11 p.m., as well as on weekends.
• Only 9% of fires in these properties began in the bedroom, but these fires accounted for almost one-quarter (22%) of the civilian injuries.

Source: NFPA's "Structure Fires in Dormitories, Fraternities, Sororities and Barracks," by Ben Evarts, August 2011.

Also see: Fact sheet on dormitories, fraternities, sororities and barracks. (PDF, 39 KB)  

Related articles from NFPA Journal®
For NFPA members only

• Ready for anything? College campuses without an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness could be at risk, a new report finds. By Fred Durso, Jr., Sep/Oct 2010. 
• Virginia Tech and other schools look beyond the technology to create effective emergency communication systems. By Lisa Nadile, Sep/Oct 2009.
• Campus mass notification: Is your campus prepared for a crisis?. By Steve Corich, Sep/Oct 2008.
• How Wesleyan University meets the challenge of making its unique student housing fire safe. By Ed Comeau, Sep/Oct 2008.
• The University of Utah, like many other campuses, has a fire prevention program that consists of prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. By Mike Halligan. Jan/Feb 2005.
• Pennsylvania's first fire safety audits of universities and other state facilities look to NFPA codes and standards. By Stephen Barlas. Nov/Dec 2004
• Strong prospects for Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act. By Stephen Barlas. Nov/Dec 2003.
• Recent tragic fires at colleges and universities have led to a small rise in fire sprinkler systems for dormitories. By Shelly Reese. Sep/Oct 2003
• The fire problem in educational occupancies. By Chip Carson, P.E. Sep/Oct 2003.
• A new program helps drive campus fire-safety growth at our nation's colleges and universities (PDF, 792 KB). By Ed Comeau. Nov/Dec 2002.
• Dormitory fire safety is a priority for parents, and NFPA is there to help. By Meri-K Appy. Jan/Feb 2002.

Other resources

• Campus Firewatch is an electronic newsletter focusing exclusively on campus fire safety.
• The Center for Campus Fire Safety provides a place for those interested in campus fire safety to share ideas and learn from their peers.
• USFA campus and student fire safety information

Updated: 8/11

In this Section:

Campus and dorm fire safety tips What you need to know about campus and dorm fire safety. Deadly fires involving college students