Fire Safety - The Compliance Program

FIRE EMERGENCIES AND EMERGENCY ACTION PLANNING
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
FIRE DRILLS
FIRE PREVENTION
FIRE INSPECTIONS
SPECIAL EVENTS
EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS

The University Fire & Safety program is monitored through several key areas. The Compliance Office, Department of Public Safety & Security and the Assistant Vice President for Administration each have key responsibilities to ensure the program is adhered to as well as to periodically review and update guidelines as needed. Each division and department within the university is responsible for all aspects of the guidelines as they may pertain to their area of work within the university. Training of individual staff falls under the responsibility of the department head. The Compliance Office as needed may augment training.

1. FIRE EMERGENCIES AND EMERGENCY ACTION PLANNING

Policy Statement: The University is committed to providing its students, staff, faculty, residents and guests with a safe environment to learn, live and work. Towards this end, all fire safety policies and procedures must be strictly adhered to. Failure to do so may jeopardize the safety and well-being of not only yourself but others around you.

Reporting Fires and Emergencies: If a fire is discovered, activate the nearest fire alarm pull station. If safe to do so, call 911 and relay the area and type of fire. If the fire alarm does not sound, dial 911 and notify occupants verbally of the emergency and the need to evacuate. Public Safety has primary responsibility for managing fire emergencies and must be notified immediately of such situations at their emergency number 9300 or 911.

Responding to Alarms: The South Orange Fire Department responds to every activated fire alarm both on and off campus. Public Safety will respond to the alarm and assist in the evacuation of occupants from the outside of the building. All employees and students, including Public Safety are prohibited from entering the building to search for victims or locate the source of the alarm. In addition, Public Safety will ensure that the egress lanes are clear and that occupants are quickly moving to their collection area. Keys for the buildings are kept in individual Knox Boxes, which provide a set of building master keys to the Fire Department.

In the event the building in alarm is located on the Green, Public Safety shall immediately open the Old Main Gate, also known as the McNulty Gate.

In the event the alarm occurs after 11:00 P.M. on a weekday or at any time on the weekend, Public Safety shall immediately open the Ward Place Gate.

In the event of an actual fire, Fire Departments from the surrounding towns will most likely be responding to campus to assist the South Orange Fire Department. If a unit is available, Public Safety will send a motorized unit to escort them from the gate to the area of alarm.

Notification: In the event of an actual fire or sprinkler discharge, the Public Safety dispatcher shall contact the following personnel as soon as possible. Emergency contact numbers are listed at the end of this policy.

Student Affairs

Primary Contact Deputy Director, Public Safety and Security Don Tauriello

Alternate Contact Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Jeffrey Hurrin

Compliance/Administration

Primary Contact Assistant Vice President for Administration Roger Demareski

Alternate Contact Compliance Officer

These individuals will then contact their appropriate vice president and or staff. In the event they are unavailable and cannot be reached, the dispatcher shall contact their alternate.

Evacuation: Employees, students and guests are not allowed to fight fires and should evacuate the building immediately at the sound of an alarm. Evacuation should be made via the nearest safe exit. Employees and students are not allowed to alter their course of exit in order to search for or notify other occupants. Notification may only be made on the way to the closest exit.

Once you have exited the building, stay out. Under no circumstance are you allowed to re-enter a building that is in alarm. Re-entry can only be make after an “all-clear” signal is given by the Fire Department and the fire alarm system is re-set.

Respond to every alarm as if it were a real fire. Report information on false alarms to Public Safety.

If conditions permit, close all doors as you leave in order to help contain the fire and smoke.

If you have to exit through smoke, crawl low to your exit keeping your head one or two feet above the floor, where the air will be cleanest.

Test doorknobs and spaces around the door with the back of your hand. If the door is warm, try another escape route. If it’s cool, open it slowly. Slam it shut if smoke pours through.

Use the stairs; never use an elevator during a fire.

If you are trapped, call 911 and tell them your location. Seal your door with rags and signal from your window. Open windows slightly at the top and bottom, but close them if smoke comes in.

Hazardous equipment or processes, including laboratory experiments, should be shut down before leaving the building unless doing so presents a greater hazard.

Each University building has a designated collection area. After you have left the building, go to the pre-designated collection area and remain there. If you are not aware of where the collection area is, stand at least 150 feet from the building. At the collection area, supervisors need to account for their personnel and immediately report to the Fire Department and/or Building Fire Warden of any unaccounted personnel.

During an emergency, students and visitors who may not be familiar with the evacuation policy and plan must be informed of the requirement to evacuate. Special attention by other building occupants should be given to any persons with disabilities, especially those who are visitors or unfamiliar with the building.

Fire extinguishers: The New Jersey Uniform Fire Code requires that fire extinguishers be placed in all buildings. The extinguisher is there for use by the fire department and trained university personnel only. Employees and students may not use a fire extinguisher to fight a fire unless they have had specific training from the University and are confident in their ability to cope with the hazards of a fire. Even with the appropriate training, extinguishers may only be used to fight, small incipient-stage fires (no larger than a waste paper basket). In such cases, fire fighting efforts must be terminated when it becomes obvious that there is danger of harm from smoke, heat or flames. If a fire is discovered and the alarm has not yet sounded, the closest pull station must be activated prior to any attempts to fight the fire with a fire extinguisher.

Fire Warden Program: A Fire Warden and an Assistant Fire Warden are assigned to every building. The Fire Warden is the main point of contact for any fire safety issue. In addition the Wardens are responsible for scheduling fire drills with Public Safety as well as to perform monthly inspections of the building. In the event of an alarm the Fire Warden shall immediately evacuate and bring the red fire bag with them. The fire bag contains vital information about the building and its occupants. The Fire Warden shall meet the Fire Department at the front door of the building when they arrive on campus. In the event the Fire Warden is not in the building at the time of the alarm, the Assistant Fire Warden or a fellow employee in his/her work area shall bring the red fire bag with them as they exit. A list is maintained with Public Safety indicating the location of every red fire bag.

Disabled Person: Since a person with a disability may need assistance in evacuating the building, a list of those persons shall be maintained by either the Hall Director or the Fire Warden and is kept in the red bag and in the fire alarm panel. It is the obligation and responsibility of the disabled person to disclose information to the Fire Warden regarding their disability and any assistance they may need when evacuating the building. The list should include each person’s name, disability and the location of his/her area of residence or work.

Training: Each department is responsible for training its employees on all elements of its emergency action plan. New employees will receive training during new employee orientation. Additional training is necessary when an employee’s required actions under the plan change, or when there are changes to the plan. Additional training assistance is available through the Compliance Office.

2. FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

The use of fire extinguishers must conform to the following guidelines which are specified by the OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.157)

No employee or student may use a fire extinguisher unless they have had specific training by the University.

Portable fire extinguishers suitable to the conditions and hazards involved shall be provided and maintained in an effective operating condition.
Portable fire extinguishers shall be conspicuously located and mounted where they will be readily accessible. Extinguishers shall not be obstructed or obscured from view.
Portable fire extinguishers shall be given maintenance service at least once a year and Public Safety shall maintain a written record. Public Safety is responsible for inspecting and maintaining the extinguishers on campus.
Public Safety, through a third party, performs inspections that entail visually inspecting for broken seals, damage, and low gauge pressure. The inspector initials a tag, affixed to the extinguisher, after each inspection.
Employees designated to potentially extinguish a fire must receive training in the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with initial-stage fire fighting.

3. FIRE DRILLS

Fire Drills are scheduled and conducted in accordance with the New Jersey Fire Code. The staff listed below schedules drills for their building. Once a date is selected for a drill, the information is transmitted to Public Safety who will in turn notify the Fire Department and the Compliance Office. Both the Compliance Office and the Office of Public Safety will maintain an overall schedule for the drills indicating the building, the scheduled dates and the date as to when the drill actually occurred. Drills should be scheduled at the beginning of each semester with all drills completed and the appropriate form filled out and transmitted to the Compliance Office by the dates listed below. It is the responsibility of both the Compliance Office and the Office of Public Safety to monitor the drill schedule and ensure drills take place as required.

Fire drills required:

Residence Halls – One drill per semester
- Undergraduate residence halls – Scheduled by Housing and Residence Life
- Lewis Hall – Scheduled by Vice Rector
- St. Andrews – Scheduled by Rector
All drills are targeted to be complete by the 15th of October for the fall semester and the 15th of February for the spring semester.

Drill reports should be submitted to the Compliance Office within three working days of the actual drill date.
All other buildings – One drill per year
- Scheduled by the building Fire Warden

Drills are targeted to be complete by March 1st with paperwork submitted to the Compliance Office by March 15th.

Each drill shall be unannounced and shall help educate the building’s occupants on the location of building exits. In addition the drill will allow them to practice quick, safe and orderly evacuation from the building to the appropriate collection area. Fire drills shall be coordinated with the South Orange Fire Department and if possible their staff should be in attendance to witness and assist with the drill. Public Safety will run the drill and record all required information on the correct form, as established by the Compliance Office, and submit the completed form to this office. The Compliance Officer will review the form and submit it to the Fire Official. All submissions to the Fire Official must be made by certified mail.

4. FIRE PREVENTION

Sprinkler and Alarm Systems: These systems are installed for the safety of the building occupants. Public Safety, through a third party, is responsible to test, inspect and maintain these systems in full accordance with the New Jersey Fire Code. Each test must be documented by Public Safety and kept in a binder, located in the Public Safety office, for review by the Fire Official upon his or her request. Fire alarm tests must be conducted in strict accordance with the policies of the office of Public Safety.

At no time can anything be hung from, attached to or block a fire safety device. In addition, storage or furniture must be kept at least 18” from a sprinkler head.

Tampering with a fire safety device will result in disciplinary action and may effect a persons employment or resident status at the University.

Sprinkler and Alarm System shutdowns:
From time to time the sprinkler and/or alarm system in a building may need to be shut-down. Since these are critical life safety systems, the following procedures shall be adhered to.

When required, the role of a fire watch shall be defined as the following.

Fire watch:
A fire watch is defined as an individual who has the sole responsibility to patrol a designated area, look for signs of fire or other emergencies and notify the building occupants and/or residents of the need to evacuate. Public Safety will provide a radio to the fire watch, which they can use to communicate with the dispatch desk, and an air horn, to notify the occupants. In addition, the fire watch shall check in with the dispatcher every fifteen minutes updating him/her on the status of the building. The dispatcher will note in his/her log the time the fire watch called in and the building and areas patrolled.

Sprinkler shutdown:

Public Safety shall be notified.
Public Safety shall provide the appropriate paperwork and shutdown tags, which need to be filled out and kept on record in the Pubic Safety office. In addition, Public Safety will submit the paperwork to our property carrier.
Public Safety shall notify the fire department before and after each shutdown.
If deemed necessary, the Fire Department may require a fire watch to be placed in the affected building. Fire watch for capital projects will be paid for through the project. In all other situations, Public Safety and Security will provide the fire watch.

Alarm system shutdown:

Public Safety shall be notified.
Public Safety shall notify the fire department before and after each shutdown.
A fire watch shall be placed in the affected building. (One person for every two floors)
The fire watch shall be equipped with a radio for communication with Public Safety dispatch and an air horn. The firewatch for capital projects will be paid for through the project. In all other situations, Public Safety and Security will provide the fire watch.
Signs shall be posted at all doors of the building stating that the alarm system is shut-down and that a firewatch is in place.
In the event of a fire or other emergency, the fire watch shall activate his/her air horn three times to signal the occupants to evacuate.
In addition, the fire watch shall notify dispatch of the problem and request assistance.

Fire Alarm Testing

At times during the year the Office of Public Safety may need to test a buildings fire alarm system. Public Safety will contact the Fire Department and notify them of the test.

During a test, the building occupants are not required to evacuate. Therefore the test must be conducted in such a manner so as to not confuse the occupants as to the validity of an alarm. Before a test is conducted, signs must be posted at the entrance doors to the building stating the date and times for the test. In addition the sign must clearly state the following policy for the alarm test. If possible and in addition to the signs, verbal notification of the test should be made to the building occupants.

Prior to the test, there will be two blasts of an air-horn.
After the air horn sounds when the fire alarm rings the occupants do not have to evacuate.
At the end of the test, there will be one blast of an air horn.
Should a fire or other situation arise during the time of the test where the building occupants should evacuate, the fire alarm panel will ring and there will be three blasts of an air-horn continuously until the evacuation is complete.

Tent Permits: Tent permits must be obtained prior to erecting a tent on campus. The group that is planning to use a tent must obtain a permit at the South Orange Fire Department at a cost of $35.00. A copy of the permit should be forwarded to the Compliance Office and a copy kept on record in that department. In addition, once the tent is erected, the person who applied for the permit shall call the Fire Department and arrange for an inspection.

Fire Escapes: The office of Public Safety and Security shall inspect each fire escape once a year through the use of a third party inspection. The inspection will ensure that the fire escape works properly. Any issues that need to be corrected should be sent to Physical Plant via the work order system. All inspections must be documented and kept in the Public Safety Inspection Binder.

Security Screen: The Office of Housing and Residence Life will inspect each security screen at least once a semester to ensure its proper operation. Any issues that need to be corrected should be sent to Physical Plant via the work order system.

Housekeeping: Proper housekeeping, including the prompt removal of waste and keeping the workspace free of unnecessary combustible materials, will help to prevent or reduce the severity of fires. Excess garbage or materials that contribute to an increased fire load or which impede egress cannot accumulate in a work or living space. If either an in-house inspector or the Fire Inspector from South Orange discovers such conditions the occupant or person(s) responsible will have 30 days to correct the situation. If within this time period the material is not properly relocated, Physical Plant will remove and discard the material. The occupant or associated department will be responsible for all costs associated with the removal.

Holiday Decorations: The New Jersey Fire Code prohibits the following items anywhere on campus unless specifically inspected and approved by the Compliance Office.

Live trees or wreaths
Holiday lights
Decorations that block an exit or fire safety device
Decorations that may hinder a safe, quick exit from a building
Decorations hung from the ceiling which may fall and hinder evacuation

Prohibited Items and Activities: The following items and activities are prohibited on campus unless specifically approved by the Compliance Office.

Space heaters (Only University issued heaters are allowed)
Small appliances
Exception: (Coffee makers, Refrigerators [not larger than 2CF and 3 amps] and Microwaves, under 600 watts, are allowed)
Open coil hot plates
Halogen Lamps
Candles or any other type of open flame
Exception: (Candles used in a chapel or for priest community religious purpose are allowed)
Extension cords (Only power strips with a circuit breaker are allowed)
Multiple plug adaptors
Smoking (Private rooms in some residence halls are excluded)
Parking in a fire lane or fire zone

Furniture:

Residence Halls: (Boland, Aquinas, Cabrini, Serra, Neuman, Xavier, Ora Manor and St. Andrews)
Furniture must meet the requirements of Cal Tech 133. Mattresses must meet the requirements of Cal Tech 117. Residents may not bring in any type of upholstered furniture that does not meet this standard.
Residence Halls: (Gerety Hall, Lewis Hall)
It is strongly encouraged that only furniture that meets Cal Tech 133 be allowed in the building. Due to the nature of the occupants, some flexibility in furniture selection is allowed. All mattresses must conform with Cal Tech 117.
Academic and Administrative Buildings:
It is strongly encouraged that only furniture that meets Cal Tech 133 be allowed in the building. Consult the Procurement Office when ordering furniture.

Hot Work Permits: Public Safety must be notified any time a torch or other type of open flame is to be used in a building. Unless the work is to remedy some type of emergency, two days notice shall be provided. In addition, Physical Plant and the South Orange Fire Official must issue a hot work permit. Public Safety and Security will coordinate for any required fire alarm or suppression shutdowns as needed. A fire watch must be provided as outlined in the permit.

5. FIRE INSPECTIONS

The South Orange Fire Department is responsible for inspecting all buildings on campus at least once a year in accordance with the New Jersey Fire Code. Physical Plant will accompany the inspector during both initial and follow-up inspections. In addition Physical Plant will receive all violations and log them into the fire inspection database. Each violation will be issued per building and it will be the responsibility of the building manager, occupant and or department head to ensure that the violation(s) is abated. Each violation must be abated within 30 days. Violations, which pose an imminent hazard to the building occupants, must be corrected immediately.

In the event a violation is not abated and a fine is issued, the department responsible for the space will be responsible for the fine.

Should a violation require more than 30 days to correct, an extension from the South Orange Fire Official may be requested. Requests may only be made through the Physical Plant.

6. SPECIAL EVENTS

At certain times during the course of the year, special events may be held either on or off campus that require special attention. Special events are defined as those that involve more than fifty (50) attendees. In particular, events that bring groups of visitors or guests to campus are of main concern.

During the planning and or scheduling phase, the department sponsoring the event must make Public Safety and Security aware of their plans. Public Safety will make subsequent notification to the fire department.
Information such as the type of event, number of guests and any special hazards, conditions or requirements should be communicated with Public Safety.
At the time of the event, prior to either the presentation or the activity taking place, a representative of the sponsoring department should address the group and review the following.
1. State to the group:
  “Upon activation of a fire alarm immediate evacuation to the closest exit is required”
2. Review with the group the location of the nearest exit(s) or stairwell(s)
3. State to the group:
  “The use of the elevators is prohibited during an alarm.”
4. Review with the group the collection area for the building
5. State to the group:
  “Once outside the building, everyone must proceed to the collection area and wait there until an “all-clear” is given by the Fire Department.”

EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS

Deputy Director for Public Safety and Security: Don Tauriello
Office: ext. 2818
Home: 973-338-5451
Cell: 973-220-1758

Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs: Jeffrey Hurrin
Office: ext. 6151
Home: 973-509-7522
Cell: (on call number) 973-727-5702

Assistant Vice President for Administration: Roger Demareski
Office: ext. 9615
Home: 973-761-9615
Cell: 973-432-1844

Compliance Officer: Lori Brown, Esq.
Office: ext. 2875
Cell: 973-454-4752