CookStop Fire-Prevention Solution for Student Housing

Solution brief: CookStop for Student Housing — a stove-safety device that combines programmable cooking permissions with motion sensing to prevent unattended-cooking fires in college and university residence buildings.

The Problem

Inattention while cooking is the leading cause of fires in college buildings. Almost 2,400 cooking fires are reported in college residences each year (NFPA statistics, 2002–2005). Real incidents cited include a $1.7 million cooking fire at University of Texas apartments (August 2006, extinguished after 100 firefighters worked for 90 minutes), 20+ unattended cooking fires per year reported by the Columbia, Missouri fire department, and a cooking fire that triggered a late-night sprinkler activation and evacuation of a 10-story Rutgers residence hall (October 2006).

Common risk factors driving these incidents:

• First time living on their own
• Cell phone distraction
• Sleep-deprived students
• Inexperienced cooks
• Partying
• Cluttered stove area
• Simply forgetting the stove when leaving the room

No amount of fire-safety inspections or education can eliminate the risk of inattention — CookStop is designed to address the behavior directly.

How CookStop Helps

CookStop is described as the only solution combining programmable cooking permissions with motion sensing:

• Set the stove for use only during certain hours or days (e.g., no cooking after midnight)
• Require the student to push a button to continue cooking past a set time limit, ensuring they remain attentive to what's on the stove

Designed With Property Management In Mind

• Each residence can be easily "keyed" to the individual student or to the property's specific residence rules
• A programmable key can hold multiple profiles
• Students cannot change the settings themselves
• CookStop can be configured so the student doesn't need to know anything about how the device works — it operates transparently in the background

Contact

Contact CookStop directly to request an evaluation unit.