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Fire Emergency Plan

Home / Policies & Procedures / Emergency Response / Fire Emergency Plan

POLICIES & PROCEDURES:

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Fire Emergency Plan

Policy
To the safety of students, staff, faculty, residents and visitors, the following fire
emergency plan has been developed and shall be implemented in fire
emergencies.

Emergency Evacuation
Procedures for Persons
with Disabilities

Authority and Responsibility

Emergency Response Plan

for Hazardous Materials
Elevator Entrapment

All University of Chicago departments shall be responsible for following the fire
emergency plan in accordance with this policy. The following response shall
take place during all fire alarm activations.
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Emergency Response Plan

for Floods

Automated External
Defribrillator (AED) Plan

Safety in Your Workplace

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Policy
Authority and Responsibility
Fire Response Procedures
Storage in Corridors
Emergency Evacuation
Procedures for Persons with
Disabilities

Related Links
Glossary

University of Chicago Police shall follow these procedures during a fire

response:

Tornado Emergency Plan

Lab Personnel

Fire Response Procedures

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1. Provide a watch commander twenty-four hours a day, seven days a

week;
2. Respond to an emergency with appropriate personnel; and
3. Follow the University of Chicagos Emergency Management Plan.
The watch commander shall follow these procedures during a confirmed fire

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Faculty & Staff

Project & Facility
Managers
Maintenance & Trades
Students

response:
1. Determine the location of the fire;
2. Instruct the caller to follow the University of Chicagos Fire Response Plan
RACER;
3. Notify the Chicago Fire Department Dispatch Center to report the alarm
activation/fire;
4. Follow the call list to contact the appropriate personnel; and
5. Contact Environmental Health and Safety during confirmed fires.
The responding police officer shall follow these procedures during a confirmed
fire response:
1. Respond directly to the scene and assist in first response as necessary;
2. Ensure entry into the affected area(s) is unobstructed for the Chicago Fire
Department vehicles;
3. Ensure communications are maintained; and
4. Ensure site security is maintained until relieved of the responsibility.
Environmental Health and Safety shall follow these procedures during a fire
response:
1. Provide an On-Call Safety Officer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a
week; and
2. Follow the University of Chicagos Emergency Management Plan.
The On-Call Safety Officer shall follow these procedures during a confirmed fire
response:
1. Respond immediately to the incident location;
2. Bring master key for all sprinkler control valves to the incident location
(Note: Key is located in Safety Office key box);
3. Once on the scene, assume overall authority;
4. Ensure that the appropriate fire response has been implemented;
5. Relinquish authority to the Commanding Fire Officer upon arrival of the
Chicago Fire Department;
6. Continually assess the fire scene to ensure appropriate measures are

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7.

8.
9.

10.

taken to avoid danger and risk to personnel in the area;

Communicate with the Director of Environmental Health and Safety or
Associate Director in his/her absence to evaluate the proper actions to be
taken;
Write an incident report and forward to all parties involved within twentyfour hours;
Inspect all fire protection devices such as fire extinguishers, fire hoses and
other fire protection/detection equipment as appropriate after the fire
incident location has been secured; and
Report any used or damaged fire protection devices to the appropriate
facilities group for replacement.

The appropriate building engineering group supervisor and electric shop

supervisor of Facilities Operations shall follow these procedures during a fire
response:
1. Contact the buildings Facility Manager, Associate Director for Facilities
Operations, and have a building engineer/electrician respond to the
incident;
2. Make the building engineer available at the entrance of the building to
direct the Fire Department to the buildings fire suppression system;
3. Monitor all utility systems in the area along with assisting with the fire
response as directed by the on-scene incident commander;
4. Replace or repair any used or damaged fire protection devices; and
5. Reset the fire detection system according to Fire Detection Systems
upon direction of the Fire Commander on scene.
Building managers or supervisors of Residence Halls and Commons and Real
Estate Operationsshall follow these procedures during a fire response:
1. Report directly to the location of the confirmed fire incident;
2. Monitor all utility systems in the area along with assisting with the fire
response as directed by the on-scene incident commander;
3. Replace or repair any used or damaged fire protection devices; and
4. Reset the fire detection system according to Fire Detection Systems
upon direction of the Fire Commander on scene.

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The University of Chicagos fire response plan is summarized by the acronym

RACER. This fire response plan shall be implemented at all times.
Building occupants shall follow these procedures during a fire response.
R escue people from the immediate area of smoke and/or fire. Make people
aware that there is a fire alarm activation or actual fire within the building.
A larm Activate the nearest fire alarm pull station. In campus buildings,
contact the University of Chicago Police at extension 123 when calling from
a University telephone or 773.702.8181 when calling from a non-University
telephone. In the Medical Center, contact Public Safety at 773.702.6262.
Provide your name, location of the emergency, telephone number from
which you are calling and type of emergency you are reporting (e.g., fire,
medical fire alarm, hazardous chemical spill) to either the University Police
or Medical Center Security.
C ontain the smoke or fire by closing all windows and doors to rooms,
stairwells and corridors.
E xtinguish the fire using the appropriate fire extinguisher for the type of fire
being fought if it is small, contained and not spreading beyond the
immediate area. Refer to Portable Fire Extinguishers for proper
extinguisher selection.
R elocate to a safe area. In campus buildings, relocate outside of the
building and away from the main entrance. In the Medical center, relocate
patients/visitors in accordance with your departments relocation plan. Fire
evacuation routes and fire alarm codes are posted by the fire alarm pull
stations. DO NOT USE ELEVATORS within the building as a means of exit,
only use the stairways. If anyone is unaccounted for, immediately notify a
representative from the Chicago Fire Department. Do not re-enter the
building until instructed to do so by one of the aforementioned agencies.
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Storage in Corridors
No person shall at any time place an encumbrance of any kind whatsoever
before or in any exitway or before or upon any fire escape, balcony or ladder
intended as a means of escape from a fire. This means no storage is allowed in
any corridor with the exception of recessed vestibule areas and no storage is

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allowed in or under any stairwell. Fire protection system controls, and heating,
ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system controls shall be accessible to
the Fire Department therefore prohibiting storage in mechanical rooms.
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Emergency Evacuation Procedures for Persons with

Disabilities
Refer to Emergency Evacuation Procedures for Persons with Disabilities.
Reviewed: July 2014
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