Section 4.6: Fire Emergency
- Sound the alarm if it isn't already activated
- Exit the building. Use fire extinguishers only to put out fire if it blocks you from your only exit
- Call 911 and Campus Safety and give building location
- Outside, direct people to the designated meeting area (listed below) and stand away from the building to allow emergency vehicles full access to the building
- Assist Campus Safety or the Fire Department once they arrive
If you hear the fire alarm going off, but do not see fire in the building:
- Go to the building's fire panel
- First person
- Call Campus Safety and tell them what the fire panel screen says
- Wait by the panel for other RAs to assist you
- Do not leave the panel unless it is unsafe to remain in the building
- Following persons
- Go to alarming floor and attempt to find the reason the alarm went off
- If it is a real fire or there is concerning smoke, follow the real fire instructions
- All others assist with evacuation and crowd control
During a scheduled fire drill:
- RAs gather in the lobby and are assigned floors
- Once the fire system activates, RAs go to their assigned floors, knock loudly on doors, enter rooms, evacuate rooms, direct students to their nearest stairwell, and check each room to ensure all fire safety equipment is functioning
- These room checks are done in staff pairs for safety.
- General rule: if a room is working different than other rooms on the same floor, there may be an issue to report. What to check:
- Smoke/particle detectors should have a blinking green light.
- Most detectors also emit a siren sound. If your floor's detectors have sirens and you find a room without that sound, the detector needs a work order to fix it.
- Some floors have room detectors with no siren. Only the hallway has sirens (Merner, Olin). For these floors, this is normal.
- Some rooms also have strobe lights.
- For hearing impairment, some rooms have bed shaking machines.
- RAs lock room doors after checking the room to prevent theft.
- RAs return to the lobby and check in with professional staff
- Once the fire system is deactivated, RAs direct incoming traffic inside
- One RA remains in the RA office to unlock room doors
- RAs submit work orders for all items of concern
A silent alarm does not mean emergency over
When Campus Safety or the emergency responders arrive they may silence the alarm to allow them to communicate while inspecting the building. Should they silence the alarm, that does not mean it is safe to return to the building. Staff and students must wait for the all clear from Campus Safety or the Fire Department before letting anyone back into the building. Also, it is possible the alarms could continue to go off after they are silenced. Unless instructed otherwise by Campus Safety or the Fire Department you should evacuate the building each time the alarm sounds.
Documentation
The staff member in charge of the evacuation procedures should follow up with any appropriate work orders and an incident report turned in the following workday detailing the events that transpired.
Designated Evacuation Sites
Armstrong House Parking Lot E across College Boulevard
Bowman-Carter Hall North-side lawn along 1st Street
Dows Hall Tri-Hall quad lawn
Merner Hall North-side lawn along 1st Street
Smith Hall Intramural fields
The Cottage North-side lawn along 1st Street
Olin Hall North-side lawn along 1st Street
Pauley-Rorem Hall East side of Pauley-Rorem Hall
Pfeiffer Hall Tri-Hall quad lawn
Russell Hall Pauley-Rorem/Russell quad lawn
Tarr Hall Tri-Hall quad Lawn
Tenth Ave Apartments Intramural fields
Wilch Apartments Lawn across 5th Avenue