Emergency procedures | Residence | Seneca Students

Residence security

The residence is equipped with several security measures intended to keep our residents and staff safe at all times.Guests must present a valid photo ID and register at the front desk before visiting. All of the common areas have video cameras and staff are on duty 24 hours a day.

Safety and security are also the responsibility of every resident. All the safeguards and rules put in place by the residence management and the institution are for your safety and protection. Circumventing rules by lending key cards or letting in visitors without permission is prohibited. Always lock your suite door and do not leave your valuables unattended, as neither the residence nor the institution is responsible for missing items. Do not leave your suite door open or propped open at any time.

Fire

If there is a fire in your suite:

• Advise all suite occupants to leave
• Close all doors behind you
• Pull the fire alarm on your floor and yell “fire”
• Leave the building using the nearest stairwell
• Contact the fire department
• Meet the firefighters at the front entrance and tell them the location of the fire

If you hear the fire alarm when you’re in your suite:

• Check the door to your suite
• If smoke is entering from around the door, do not open it
• Protect yourself from smoke inside your suite as described under the alarms/smoke detectors section
• If there is no smoke, brace yourself, and open the door a little
• If you see smoke or feel heat, close the door quickly and protect yourself
• If the corridor is clear, take your keycard, close your door behind you and leave the building using the nearest exit

If you leave your suite or the building:

• Do not use the elevator
• Check the nearest stairwell door for heat and smoke
• If the door is not too hot to touch, open it carefully and use the stairwell to leave the building
• If there is smoke or the door is hot, close the door and try other stairways
• If there are no other stairways, return to your suite and protect yourself from the smoke
• Note, smoke usually rises to the top of the stairway
• Never go to the roof, those doors are locked and you could be trapped
• Remember, if there is smoke, stay low and crawl under it

If you remain in your suite:

• Protect yourself from smoke by staying low
• Stay in your suite until you are rescued or told to leave
• Do not try to leave your suite once the alarm has sounded because there is greater the risk that heavy smoke has spread into the hallways
• To keep smoke from entering your suite, use something to seal the cracks around the door, air vents and ducts, and place wet towels at the bottom
• If smoke enters your suite, phone the fire department and tell them where you are
• If there is no smoke coming in from outside, open the window for fresh air
• Show your rescuers where you are by hanging a sheet from the window.

Once you’ve left, do not return until it is declared safe to do so by a fire official.

Residents with disabilities

For residents with mobility impairments, please contact the residence management upon move-in to discuss evacuation procedures.

Alarms and smoke detectors

Residence suites have smoke detectors and a heat detectors. The smoke detector is activated by a minor amount of smoke. Once triggered, the suite alarm will be activated. Do not open the door to the hallway. Open your windows and turn on the bathroom fan to clear the air. If the smoke is serious, exit the room and inform the front desk. The heat detector is set off by excessive heat within the suite. Once triggered, it will set off the main building alarm.

The residence hallways also have smoke detectors and heat sensors. Minor smoke or excessive heat will activate the building alarm. If it goes off, everyone must leave immediately. If someone activates a false building alarm; under the Provincial Fire Code, a fine could be applied.

The fire department has a zero-tolerance policy regarding tampering with smoke alarms. Please note, the residence staff will frequently test the smoke detectors in your suite. This ensures that it has not been intentionally disabled. Any occurrence of this could result in disciplinary sanctions from management and/or a charge under the Fire Protection and Preventions Act with a maximum fine of $25,000.