The successful failure of the fire at the Riviera Ridge apartments (see Page 1) provides a perfect object lesson in fire safety. Homeowners and tenants alike across the Greater Binghamton area could learn from the outcome: an entire building burned to the ground, but not a single occupant was injured.

According to “Code inspector’s vigilance may have saved a disaster,” an article that ran Jan. 28 in the Press & Sun-Bulletin, it’s very likely that nobody was injured or killed because Building G was up to fire code when the blaze started.

It wasn’t always that way. A fire inspection last year turned up multiple violations, the article reported, one of the biggest being the presence of only one smoke detector for the entire building. But the property manager, Steve Reed, complied with the inspector’s recommendations, adding smoke detectors and getting the building up to code. Because the smoke detectors, exit signs and emergency lights were all functional, building residents and firefighters alike were able to get into and out of the building as quickly as possible.

Possessions can be replaced, but a person dies once. So Reed’s is a story of a job well-done.

Not to knock landlords, but students have to rely on themselves for their own fire safety. And there’s a lot you can do to prevent fire — or to prevent it from becoming even more tragic. The most important: have smoke detectors in most or all the rooms of your home, and test them every month. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, having a working smoke alarm reduces your chances of dying in a fire by nearly one-half. It may be your landlord’s job to supply and test the detectors, but pick up the slack if they’re not on it. It’s your life, not theirs.

And while it’s your landlord’s responsibility to make sure your house’s wiring is up to date and strong enough to handle a reasonable current, it’s up to you to be a responsible electricity user. Don’t overload an outlet with tons of high-drain devices –– it’s bound to get hot. And that surge protector you have plugged into another surge protector might have to go, too.

If your building has a wood frame (and here in Binghamton, that’s almost a given) it’s extra susceptible to smoking-related fires. So make sure you’re careful with your butts, and that when you’re smoking things other than tobacco that you’re not on the wicker rocking chair. Oh, and try not to pass out with a lit cigarette in your hand, either.

Cooking, too, can lead to fire if not done carefully. As this newspaper reported last week, two Endicott Hall students frying cheese forced the evacuation of their entire building and damaged their kitchen rather badly when they left the concoction unattended and it caught fire. Keep an eye on anything you’re cooking, and make sure you turn off all ranges, ovens, etc. — the accumulated gas could explode at the slightest spark. And if you smell gas, open as many windows as you can to let it escape.

Just be vigilant. If anything, do it for Noodles.