September marks Campus Safety Month, and local organizations urge students to be aware of smoke detectors and ensure proper operation.

Lt. Darrin Hepker from the Sycamore Fire Department said college students need to take precautionary measures related to fire safety.

“Once you get to college, students kind of forget [about fire safety],” Hepker said.

Hepker said one of the most important precautions a student can take against a fire is to make sure his or her smoke detector is working.

“This is important because if they have fires in the dorm, they can be warned,” Hepker said. “Smoke detectors should be checked twice a year, when clocks are set ahead and set back.”

Hepker also said smoke detectors can come off walls and ceilings easily, so students should pay close attention to ensure they are working properly.

Working smoke detectors are especially important for residence hall rooms, Hepker said.

“Smoke detectors should be in every room,” said Milly Santiago, public information officer for the Illinois State Fire Marshall. “We want to remind students that if there are smoke detectors, they should be working.”

Santiago said although residence hall fires don’t happen often, they do happen, and students get injured. If students live in an off-campus apartment, Santiago said to contact the owner of the building or the maintenance department if there are problems with their smoke detectors. If the owner doesn’t respond, students have the right to file an official complaint against the manager of the building.

“We ask tenants on the lease to check [smoke detectors] once a month,” said Pittsley Realty owner Mike Pittsley. “We [the management] check twice a year.”

Pittsley said if the battery is bad, it is the tenant’s responsibility to replace it. There are usually not a lot of problems with smoke detectors at Pittsley apartments since they’re hard wired.

“We ask [the tenants] to sign something saying they’re responsible [for checking the smoke detectors],” said Jim Lisafeld, Laing Management office manager.

Laing Apartments replaces the batteries in smoke detectors when students move in and out of their apartments. Lisafeld said when there is a problem with a smoke detector, Laing sends maintenance workers to fix the problem right away.

Varsity Square Apartments and Star Properties refused to comment. Mason Properties was unavailable for comment by press time. Calls to Housing & Dining were not returned by press time.