Fire Alarm Evacuation Policy

To establish clear guidelines regarding the campus fire alarm system, which includes evacuation procedures, testing, and NYS and Clery compliance.

Date	Version Number	Change Description	Referenced Section
2/13/17	1.0	New Document	Entire Document
11/23/18	1.1	Minor Revisions
5/31/2024	1.2	Minor Revisions	1.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0.

This policy has been renamed from: Fire Alarm Procedures

Review Process / Approval

Action:	Units	Date
Policy Review	Emergency Management Management Services	5/23/24
Policy Approval	Executive Council	5/28/24

All employees, students and guests to the campus.

• Accidental Activation: An activation of a building’s fire alarm system for a cause other than purposely triggering the system (i.e. burned food, steam, etc.)
• Area of Refuge: A location where building occupants with mobility challenges can wait for assistance in an emergency. An Area of Refuge should have the following criteria: 1) An enclosed area, preferably with fire-rated doors and walls; 2) A campus phone, if possible, and 3) Located in close proximity to exits, stairwells, or other access points for rescue personnel.
• Authorized Campus Designee: A building contact (administrative buildings), C.A. /C.D (residential buildings), or University Police.
• Building Contact: Building contacts are designated volunteers who help promote the health, safety and well-being of occupants within their building, and assist the campus when needed during campus incidents, events and drills.  Building contacts can be easily identified during evacuations because they will wear a florescent green safety vest with the words “building contact” on the back.
• Emergency Evacuation Drills: Emergency evacuation drills serve to educate building occupants, assist in the evaluation of emergency plans, and identify potential issues with the building’s means of egress or fire safety systems.
•  Safety Team: The Safety Team consists of maintenance and operations employees who are responsible for conducting campus emergency evacuations drills, ensuring building fire systems are operational, and documenting any deficiencies/issues during the evacuation drill. 

6.1 Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS)

   6.1.1 Will notify Maintenance & Operations when campus emergency evacuation drills are due, per the NYS Education Law (section 807.3) and Fire Code Emergency Preparedness requirements (section 403).

   6.1.2 Will review and approve campus Fire Drill Reports to verify the information is complete and accurate.

6.2 Facilities, Maintenance & Operations (M&O)

   6.2.1 Ensure the campus fire alarm system is inspected, tested, and maintained according to the NYS Fire Code.

   6.2.2 Coordinate with the campus fire alarm service provider or 3rd party vendor to conduct annual inspections and testing. M&O must notify the campus before and after any fire alarm testing.

   6.2.3 Coordinate emergency evacuation drills for academic and administrative buildings, which include theatres, sports facilities, and dining facilities, with the Office of Emergency Management.

   6.2.4 Coordinate emergency evacuation drills with College Auxiliary Services for locations affecting food services.

   6.2.5 The Safety Team will document all evacuation drills conducted on campus and submit them to EHS for review and approval. Documentations will include the following:

• Building Name
• Physical Address (911 address of the building being drilled)
• State Fire ID
• Date and time (when the drill started and ended for each building)
• Drill leader, including their title and telephone number
• Staff participation in the drill
• Drill notification method used and location
• Number of occupants evacuated
• Total time of evacuation drill
• Weather conditions
• Notation of whether a fire escape was used
• Problems encountered
• Signature for emergency evacuation drill witness

6.3  Emergency Management

   6.1.3 Coordinate emergency evacuation drills for residence halls with Campus Housing and M&O per the NYS Education Law (section 807.3) and Fire Code Emergency Preparedness requirements (section 403).

• Conduct at least four drills in the residence halls annually.
  • One drill shall take place between September 1 and December 1.
  • One drill shall be conducted within 10 days of the beginning of school.
  • Drills require drilling at various times, and at least one drill is held at night.
  • At least one of the drills must use fire escapes, where provided
  • Where summer sessions are provided, at least one of the required drills must be held during the first week of summer school.
• Confirm the completion of fire drills by signing off as a witness on the Fire Drill reports.

7.1 Emergency Evacuation Procedures

• When a fire alarm sounds, proceed to the nearest exit marked by an exit sign. The nearest exit may not be the way you entered the building. Evacuate the building quickly, but do not run or panic.  

• If exits/stairwells are not clear or safe, go to the next closest exit/stairway. Stairwells are an important means of exiting multi-story buildings. Therefore, fire doors should be kept closed.

• The elevators should not be used. Many elevators are programmed to shut down during a fire alarm.  

• Doors and, if possible, windows should be closed and lights turned off as the last person leaves a room or area.  

• People who walk slowly or need assistance should walk to the right side of stairwells to prevent impeding others from exiting a building.

• Leave the nearby vicinity of the building and gather at designated assembly areas at least 50 feet away, so emergency personnel have clear access to the building.  

• Proceed to designated assembly area for your building. The designated area should be communicated by the faculty instructor, staff member, building contacts, or C.A./C.D. Try to account for the people in your work/class areas to ensure all occupants have left the building.  

• Never re-enter a building without instruction from an authorized designated college authority.

   7.1.1 Faculty: All faculty members must immediately instruct students to evacuate a classroom/laboratory/studio when a fire alarm is activated. Ensure students evacuate the building and go to designated assembly areas.
   7.1.2 Students: All students must immediately evacuate the building and gather at least 50 feet from the building in the designated assembly areas.
   7.1.3 Employees: All employees must evacuate the building and go to designated assembly areas.

* New York State Office of Fire Protection and Control (OFPC) and New York State Law require all occupants to evacuate buildings when a fire alarm is activated, whether it is a drill or not.

7.2 Emergency Assembly Area

• Once outside, please stay at least 50 feet away from buildings. Whenever possible, congregate with people from your class/work groups/floor. Try to account for all people after gathering at the assembly area to ensure they have evacuated safely. If you suspect people are still in the building, immediately notify University Police or emergency personnel.

7.3 Evacuation of Individuals with Special Needs   

• Whenever possible, identify a partner to assist those with special needs during an emergency. Do not attempt to lift /carry individuals with disabilities since this may cause serious injuries. Only professional Rescue Personnel should lift or carry individuals with special needs.
• If a person with special needs is prohibited from evacuating their building, they should be assisted by a partner to an area of refuge or a shelter-in-place location. (note: stairwells have at least a one-hour fire rating). The partner should instruct the individual to stay in place while they exit the building and notifies emergency personnel of the individual’s location. Dial x2022 (518-564-2022) from a campus phone or 9-1-1 from a non-campus phone and identify the name and location of the person who cannot exit.  
• Whenever possible, a list will be compiled for the location of individuals with special needs who reside or work at SUNY Plattsburgh. This list will be provided to University Police. If any SUNY Plattsburgh faculty and staff member wishes to be identified on this list, please contact Human Resource Services.    
• If you are a student with special needs, please contact the Accessibility Resource Office (ARO).
• If people with special needs are visiting the campus, the host should identify their partners during an emergency to assist their evacuation or relocation to an area of refuge, along with the need to alert University Police and Rescue Personnel.

7.4 Emergency Evacuation Drills

   7.4.1 Timing Emergency evacuation drills are required annually per Chapter 4 of the Fire Code of New York State and Education Law, Article 17, Part 807. The frequency of the drills is dependent on the building’s occupancy class. 
      7.4.1.1 Residence Halls
Campus residential units are classified as an R-2 occupancy class and require at least four (4) annual drills.

• One drill shall take place between September 1 and December 1.
• One drill shall be conducted within 10 days of the beginning of school.
• Drills require drilling at various times, and at least one drill is held at night.
• At least one of the drills must use fire escapes, where provided.
• Where summer sessions are provided, at least one of the required drills must be held during the first week of summer school.

      7.4.1.2 Academic/Administrative Buildings (includes Campus theaters, sports facilities, student centers, dining facilities, or other places of public assembly) Academic/Administrative buildings are classified as a B occupancy class and require at least three (3) annual drills.

• One drill shall take place between September 1 and December 1.
• At least one of the drills must use fire escapes, where provided.
• Where summer sessions are provided, at least one of the required drills must be held during the first week of summer school.

7.5.2 Review and Approval
   7.5.1 The Safety Team will document all evacuation drills conducted on campus and submit them to EHS for review and approval.
   7.5.2 Emergency Management will confirm the completion of fire drills by signing off as a witness on the Fire Drill reports.
   7.5.3 EHS will review and approve campus Fire Drill Reports to verify the information is complete and accurate.

None

SUNY Plattsburgh's Emergency Assembly Area 

Method	Date
Campus Handbook	5/31/2024
Faculty / Staff Digest	N/A
Student Digest	N/A
Other	N/A

There are no specific trainings identified with this policy.