Fire prevention is on the minds of many house and apartment owners. Most have already taken steps to install or check smoke detectors an fire extinguishers.

Bill Graver, vice-president and general manager of Buckeye Real Estate, which has 1100 units in the campus area, said the company uses a number of different methods.

Most group houses have extinguishers. Many also have fire hoses and security systems that give an alarm in case of fire, he said.

Graver said there are no guidelines that say how many people have to live in a house for it to keep both an extinguisher and smoke detectors. All the units have smoke detectors, and residents are encouraged to check them regularly.

“We also remind the students through the newsletter to be careful in the dry months of spring and summer,” Graver said. “Issues such as cigarette butts thrown in the mulch can be a problem when the weather is dry.”

“The common buildings with the hoses and extinguishers are checked by companies that we hire. The fire department also goes through for their annual inspection,” he said.

Graver said Buckeye Real Estate alerts the students through the newsletter that the company will add extinguishers to any unit upon request.

Pella Co. is in the process of making sure each of its units contains fire extinguishers along with the already present smoke detectors, said Rebecca Nichols, a leasing agent for Pella.

“We keep an eye out for the extinguishers, checking them regularly to make sure they are working,” she said.

Pella leasees sign a contract that says occupants must check their smoke detectors regularly.

Buckeye Real Estate also has their occupants sign a lease that demands residents check their detectors. The company checks the detectors when occupants move in and out, and there is also periodic maintenance.

G.A.S. Properties is also installing fire extinguishers in its units, although they are not required, said George Sourvanos, president of the company.

Each floor of every unit contains an extinguisher and a smoke detector. G.A.S. Properties owns 200 apartments on and off campus.

G.A.S. also checks the smoke detectors every other month.

“In the lease agreement, the attendant is responsible for the up-keep of the detectors, but young adults often have other things to think about, so we check them for them,” Sourvanos said.

The extinguishers have already come in handy.

A bonfire in the courtyard of G.A.S.’s unit at 220 E. Lane Ave. got out of hand about a week ago, Sourvanos said.

“Some kids were playing around, but they were able to put it out with one of the extinguishers,” he said.

Ohio State also keeps smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in itsdorm buildings.

“Someone comes to check that the fire extinguishers are working on a regular basis on my floor,” said Scott Loge, a senior in chemical engineering and a resident advisor in Drackett Hall.

An apartment at 198 E. Lane Ave. suffered damage from a kitchen fire that may have been avoided with a working extinguisher.

Bob Haglage, a junior in business, said he and a friend were heating vegetable oil with the lid on, and when they took the lid off, flames shot out.

“We found this small fire extinguisher in the back of the pantry, but it was empty,” said Dave Menninger, a junior in computer science and engineering.

The roomates also tried to put the fire out with blankets and baking soda when it first flared up, to no avail.

“I think if we had an extinguisher, we might have been able to stop it ourselves,” Haglage said.