Academic and Administrative Buildings’ Fire Drills

The Safety Department will conduct the spring 2011 fire drills in academic and administrative buildings from Monday, April 11, through Friday, April 22. The building drills will be conducted in the morning between 8:30-10:30 a.m. or in the afternoon between noon-4 p.m., according to building zone. A schedule of the fire drills by date and building can be viewed under the Quick Links heading on the Safety Department’s website at http://safety.syr.edu.

The drills are essential to enhance the effectiveness of the University’s building evacuation plans by reinforcing occupant awareness of the procedures to follow when a building evacuation is necessary.

The Safety Department has worked with Academic Affairs in scheduling the drills to minimize the disruption of classes and research in academic buildings. Each building drill should last approximately 15-20 minutes.

To enhance the effectiveness of the drills, below are procedures to follow when evacuating a building:

 As an occupant, know at least two ways to exit a building, as there could be times where your primarily means of egress is obstructed by smoke or material.
 When the fire alarm sounds, lock your work area/office and then immediately exit the building.
 When exiting a building, do so calmly and quickly via the nearest exit. Take your keys and personal belongings with you.
 Once outside, move a safe distance away from the building so that in the event of an actual building fire, emergency crews can get into the building.
 During an extended evacuation, you may be instructed by University emergency response personnel to a designated short-term emergency evacuation center (Hendricks Chapel or Schine Student Center for North Campus, or Goldstein Student Center for South Campus).
 For the purposes of the drill, do not re-enter the building until an “all clear” is given by the Safety Department or when the fire alarm audible is silent. In the event of an actual fire, the “all clear” for the building re-entry will be given by the City Fire
Department or authority having jurisdiction.
 The procedure for emergency evacuation for persons with disabilities will be followed by University officials during the drill. Persons may be asked to remain in the building by uniformed University officials.
 If you observe persons with disabilities in the building, please advise emergency response officials of their location once you are outside the building.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact the Safety Department at 443-5474 or 443-5475.

Contact Person: John Rossiter, Safety Department, 443-5474,
jarossit@syr.edu