Fire Safety at Frostburg State

The Fire Safety section includes the following topics.

FIRE EVACUATION PROCEDURES FOR ALL FACULTY

The individual instructor should be familiar with a primary and an alternate evacuation route from each area that he/she teaches. Evacuation route information (including instructions not to use the elevators) should be shared with all students during the first meeting of the initial class/lab and/or studio function and each time thereafter a fire alarm has been activated.

When an alarm is sounded, the instructor shall immediately release the class, telling students to proceed in a safe and orderly fashion to the nearest clear exit. The instructor shall also evacuate the building immediately. (DO NOT USE THE ELEVATOR.)

The instructor should assist any mobility impaired student (if needed) out of the building or to an enclosed stair tower where they will be protected from flame, smoke and gasses. If an impaired student is left in a stair tower, the University Police must be notified immediately after exiting the building.

If, in the instructor's personal judgment, conditions permit, heat-generating appliances should be turned off. Doors and windows should be shut when exiting the room.

Faculty should assist in preventing students from congregating near the building exits.

When safely out of the building contact the University Police at x4222 by cell phone or from another building.

The building should not be reentered until the University Police gives the "all-clear".

Evacuation of the building when the alarm is sounded applies to all Faculty during teaching and none teaching times.

If you have any questions pertaining to these procedures, please contact the Office of Human Resources Safety Office at x4897.

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FIRE EVACUATION PROCEDURES FOR ALL STAFF

  • All employees shall be familiar with a primary and an alternate evacuation route from each area within the building where they are working.
  • Evacuation routes are any clear hallway that leads to the stairs and the out side of the building.
  • When an alarms is sounded, the employee shall immediately evacuate the building in a safe and orderly fashion to the nearest clear exit. (DO NOT USE THE ELEVATOR.)
  • Assist any individual requiring additional help or directions to the stairs. Instruct any other occupants of the building to evacuate immediately.
  • When safely out of the building contact the University Police at x4222 by cell phone or from another building.
  • Evacuation of the building when the alarm is sounded applies to all employees whatever their task.
  • The building shall not be reentered until the University Police gives the "all-clear".

If you have any questions pertaining to these procedures, please contact the Office of Human Resources Safety Office at x4897.

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AUDIENCE NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT

The State Fire Prevention Code "Audience Notification" requires that the following be complied with at the start of each performance, address, play, movie, dance, exhibition or any other gathering of more than 50 people.

  1. It shall be the duty of the person in charge of any theatre or place of public assembly to call the attention of those present, immediately before the beginning of the performance, address, play, movie, dance, exhibition or other matter of proceedings for which people are assembled, to the number and location of several exits in the building or hall, and to state that the doors to all exits are unlocked. Before making the announcement, it shall be the duty of the person to make an actual inspection to verify the fact, or to see that the doors are unlocked.
  2. It shall be the duty of the person in charge of every public or private assembly to call the attention of everyone present at a performance, address, play, movie, dance, exhibition or other matter of proceeding to the exits by displaying or announcing the following:

    NOTICE:
    For your own safety, look for your nearest exit, in case of emergency, walk, do not run, to that exit.

  3. The requirement for calling the attention of everyone present in any public or private assembly of more than 50 people to the exits shall be considered complied with by one of the following methods:
    1. Oral announcement of the above notice from stage, platform, or floor at the beginning of every performance, address, play, dance, movie, exhibition, contest or other matter of proceedings.
    2. Showing the above notice on the cinema screen where moving or stereopticon pictures are shown.
    3. Printing the above notice in bold type letters not less than one-fourth inch in height on the back of programs for any performances, matters or other proceedings. Nothing but the notice shall be placed on the back of the program.
    4. Having a fixed sign or signs displaying the above notice printed in letters of a size and clearness that can be easily read from any and every point in the assembly room.

If you have any questions, please contact the Safety Office at x4897.

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FIRE SAFETY

The University community must be constantly aware of the possibility of fire and fire related problems. Because of the concentrated use of University facilities, a fire incident on campus could threaten the lives of many people.

Frostburg State University complies with the State of Maryland Fire Prevention Code and the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code 101. Questions regarding their application to campus situations should be addressed first to the Office of Human Resources Safety Office. If further interpretation is required, the Office of Human Resources Safety Office will consult the Office of the State Fire Marshall. Listed below are the primary fire safety rules, regulations and procedures:

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IF THERE IS A WORKING FIRE

  1. Sound the Alarm
    If you discover or suspect a fire, sound the building fire alarm. The Jenkins house and the Fuller House are the only campus buildings that do not have a complete fire alarm system. These two facilities are equipped with overhead smoke detectors. Employees in those buildings should alert fellow employees orally when the detector is activated. If conditions permit, report the fire to University Police at x4222.
  2. Leave the Building Immediately
    Walk; do not run, to the nearest exit. Go to a safe area 300 feet or more from the building. Do not stand in roadways or otherwise interfere with fire personnel. Do not go back into the building until university police announce "all clear." Assist any handicapped individuals as you evacuate the building. When evacuating the building, close doors and windows only if your personal safety will not be jeopardized.
  3. Report the Fire
    From a safe location, dial x4222 to report the fire to University Police. When calling from somewhere other than the building that is burning, give as much information as possible and stay on the line until the dispatcher tells you to hang up. Be prepared to give the exact location of the fire and what is burning.

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TO SURVIVE A BUILDING FIRE

  1. Crawl, if there is smoke.
    If you get caught in smoke, get down on the floor and crawl. Hot, smoke-filled air rises and cooler, cleaner air will be near the floor.
  2. Feel doors before opening.
    If the doorknob or the door itself is hot, do not open it. If the door or knob is cool, brace yourself against the door and open it slightly. If heat or smoke is present, close the door and remain in the room or seek an alternate exit.
  3. Go to the nearest clear exit or stairway.
    If the nearest exit or stairway is blocked by smoke, go to an alternate. NEVER USE THE ELEVATOR, which may deliver you to the scene of the fire or trap you. Close as many doors as possible as you leave, to help confine the fire.
  4. Don't attempt to fight the fire UNLESS:
    1. the fire is very small (no bigger than wastebasket size)
    2. you know how to select and use a portable fire extinguisher
    3. you have an unblocked escape route

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IF YOU GET TRAPPED

  1. Keep the doors closed.
    Seal vents and the cracks around the doors to keep smoke out. Use duct tape or a wet cloth, if available. If you are trapped in a sealed room, and there does not appear to be exterior smoke, open the window.
  2. Signal for help.
    Hang an object out the window (bed sheet, jacket, etc.) to attract the attention of the fire department. If there is a telephone, call university police at x4222. Give your exact location; e.g., floor, room number, what side of building. Wait for rescue by the fire department. In virtually every case, it is unwise to consider jumping.

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IF YOU ARE ON FIRE

  1. Stop, drop and roll.
    Wherever you are, immediately fall to the ground and roll to smother the fire. Do not run. If you see someone whose clothes are on fire, extinguish the flames with a portable fire extinguisher, blanket, rug or coat.
  2. Cool the burn.
    Use cool tap water on burns immediately. Do not use ointments, butter, etc. Call an ambulance.

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PARTICIPATE IN FIRE EVACUATION DRILLS

Fire drills are conducted in all campus administrative and academic buildings twice yearly. Drills are conducted in residence facilities twice in the fall semester and once in the spring semester. Drills are designed to familiarize you with the sound of the fire alarm, to show you alternate exits and to reinforce procedures and behaviors. Evacuate the building immediately at the sound of the alarm.

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PRACTICE FIRE PREVENTION AT YOUR WORK PLACE

  1. Be careful with smoking materials. Smoking as defined herein is smoking or carrying lighted tobacco products. Smoking shall not be permitted in any University academic or administrative buildings, enclosed facilities, automobiles, buses, vans or trucks. FSU campus will continue to be a healthy smoke-free environment for all employees.
  2. Be careful with electricity. Use only U.L. listed appliances. Never leave heat generating equipment unattended, especially cooking equipment. Do not overload outlets or use equipment with frayed or damaged cords. Do not run electrical wires under carpeting.
  3. Keep exits and hallways clear at all times. Storage of bicycles, chairs, desks, or other furniture items is prohibited in all corridors, stairways and exit ways. Blocked exits or narrowed hallways can cause "chain reaction" pileups of evacuating people during an emergency.
  4. Dispose of combustible wastes promptly. Dispose of all combustible wastes (newsprint, cardboard, and like material) as soon as possible. Use metal or UL Approved trashcans. Paper being saved for recycling, etc., must not be stored within three feet of any heating, electrical or telephone panel.
  5. Limit storage of flammable liquids and hazardous materials. Storage of gasoline, ether, paint, glue, corrosives and other hazardous materials is limited to specific quantities and containers. Since there are programmatic considerations involved, the Office of Human Resources Safety Office should be contacted in individual instances.
  6. Don't use space heaters. The use of space heaters for personal comfort is prohibited. Supervisory personnel are responsible for seeing that this policy is adhered to. Exceptions to this policy can only be made by the Director of Facilities.
  7. Limit use of open flame devices. No open flame devices may be used without prior permission from the Office of Human Resources Safety Office. Permission may be granted under controlled conditions for religious or ceremonial purposes, for instruction, for food service, or for necessary maintenance functions. Permission will not be granted for decorative effects. Open flame devices must never be left unattended.
  8. Report damaged life safety equipment. The Safety Office, Residence Life and Physical Plant personnel inspect fire safety equipment on a regular schedule. However, any damage that is observed between inspections should be reported to University Police immediately.
    1. Fire doors - shall not be held open with a foreign object (e.g., soda cans, cardboard, stone) they should open and close completely. Doors with closure hardware should close completely and automatically.
    2. Exit signs - should be illuminated.
    3. Smoke detectors - should be kept clear. There should be no obvious defects and they should not be covered over with material.
    4. Fire alarm systems - horns, bells and pull stations should be accessible and free of obvious defects.
    5. Fire extinguishers - report any missing or discharged portable fire extinguishers.
  9. Persons with disabilities.
    Persons with disabilities (even temporary disabilities) that impair mobility must inform their supervisors so that assistance may be rendered in the event of emergency evacuation. Hearing impaired individuals should be informed individually of the existence of an emergency. A sighted individual should guide visually impaired persons to safety. Mobility impaired persons should not use elevators in event of fire, but should seek refuge in an enclosed stair tower or other smoke-proof enclosure. Co-workers must notify fire personnel that there is someone in the stair tower.

The Office of Human Resources Safety Office requests that all co-workers render reasonable assistance to each other in the event of an emergency evacuation, as long as these actions do not place anyone in further, unreasonable danger.

EVERY FIRE, NO MATTER HOW SMALL, MUST BE REPORTED TO UNIVERSITY POLICE, EVEN IF THE FIRE HAS BEEN EXTINGUISHED.

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PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

Each facility at Frostburg State University has Fire and Life Protection Equipment for the safety of the occupants. All facilities have Portable Fire Extinguishers. They may differ in size, type, color and use. There are three (3) basic types of portable fire extinguishers:

  • TYPE A - for fires that need a substance like water to cool burning materials down below ignition level e.g. paper, cloth, wood, rubber and plastic.
  • TYPE B - contains a chemical that will fight flammable liquids, gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, cooking oil and grease.
  • TYPE C - contains a chemical that will fight energized electrical equipment fires, burning wires and cables and electrical motor fires.
  • TYPE ABC - multi-purpose portable fire extinguishers can be used on all three fires mentioned above.

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REMEMBERING THE BASICS OF USING A FIRE EXTINGUISHER

If you are called on to use a portable fire extinguisher in fighting a small fire, just think of the word P.A.S.S., Pull pin, Aim the hose or nozzle at the flames, Squeeze the handle and Sweep the base of the fire and evacuate the immediate area.

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FIRE WATCH PROCEDURES

A fire watch is an individual assigned to walk around a residence hall when the building fire alarm system is not functioning properly.

Procedures in this document will be immediately implemented when any building fire alarm system is out of service for more than one (1) hour and it is determined that the problem will persist after normal work hours. Fire Watches, if required, will cover areas in buildings that are affected by the fire alarm system outage or malfunction. Fire Watches will continue until the fire alarm system has been repaired, tested and returned to full service.

FSU personnel, in accordance with this procedure, will staff a Fire Watch. The Office of Human Resources Safety Officer will coordinate with the Director of Facilities, Director of Residence Life and the University Police Chief to agree on the emergency. These four individuals will agree on the appointment of a Fire Watch Staff and the required period of time. The assigned individuals will be given a portable hand-held air horn to notify occupants in case of an emergency evacuation. A flashlight and a radio will be provided by the University Police Department.

A thorough inspection of all public areas, mechanical and electrical rooms, storage areas, closets, kitchens, laundry/trash rooms and other high-risk areas in the affected areas of the building must be conducted on the half hour. If there are any disabled faculty, staff or residents in the affected areas of occupied buildings, the person(s) conducting the Fire Watch will have a list, by name and room number of those disabled individuals.

The Police Communications Officer at the University Police Headquarters will maintain documentation of the Fire Watch. The individual assigned to the Fire Watch will have continued radio communications with the University Police. Radio communication with the PCO will be accomplished every half hour. The Fire Watch will report that the inspection of the building has been completed and no hazard was noticed. The date and time will be recorded by the Communications Officer.

The Fire Watch will be continuous from start time 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. in Residence Halls. Between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:29 p.m. all building occupants will be notified of the fire alarm system outage by electronic mail and signs will be posted on each Fire Alarm Pull Box and Fire Door immediately when Fire Alarm is found to be malfunctioning.

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FIRE WATCH STAFF - FIRE EVACUATION PROCEDURES

In the event of any fire or smoke, the person performing the Fire Watch must immediately notify the University Police at x4222 and notify the building occupants to evacuate by activating the portable air horn while traveling from floor to floor. Assist disabled occupants in any way possible while warning the occupants of each floor. The University Police will immediately notify Civil Defense at x9-911 and dispatch the Patrol Officer to assist in the notification and evacuation of building occupants. The occupants will go directly to the building designated area and await notification from the University Police Officer.

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS A SAFE AND ORDERLY EVACUATION OF ALL BUILDING OCCUPANTS.

Facilities will be evacuated in the following manner: University Police will assist the occupants in evacuating the building.

  • Elevators are not to be used during an emergency.
  • University Police will assist the Building Staff to notify the occupants of the emergency.
  • Disabled students will be given assistance during the evacuation.
  • Fire Department Personnel will assist anyone that may need additional help to evacuate the building.
  • Building Staff will relocate the evacuated occupants to another facility as time and weather allow.
  • Occupants will evacuate as quickly as possible using the most direct and clear route.
  • Building occupants will be notified immediately when the fire alarm system has been repaired and functioning properly. If you have any questions, contact University Police Headquarters x4222, 24 hours a day.

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NATURAL GAS LEAK/ODORS

The most obvious sign of a natural gas line leak is the smell. Natural gas by itself is usually odorless, so gas companies add a distinctive odor to gas. If you smell this telltale odor, don't use matches, electrical switches or appliances. Alert your co-workers, but do not use the fire alarm system to do so. Shut down any motorized equipment or other source of electrical spark or ignition. Leave the building and call University Police at x4222. Do not enter the building until University Police or fire personnel give the "all clear".

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