Residence Hall Fire Safety

The University has several policies in place to help prevent fires, including:

• Smoking: Smoking (including vaping and e-cigarettes) is not permitted in any university building or fleet vehicle. Designated smoking areas have been established for the campus community. The university disciplinary process is used for those who do not follow the policy.
• Appliances: Cooking appliances are prohibited in all rooms in all residence halls. Examples include hot plates, immersion coils, electric fry pans, toaster ovens, electric griddles, hot pots, toasters, popcorn poppers, and hot shots. Secondary heating appliances are not permitted, including kerosene heaters, charcoal stoves, and propane or natural gas-fired appliances.
• Open Flame: Any item that may produce an open flame is prohibited. Examples include incense burning, candles, oil lamps, lanterns, potpourri/oil burners, propane grills, and fire pits.
• Decorations: Posters, flags, tapestries, or decorations shall not be hung from the ceiling, walls, or windows or cover exit doors. No natural Christmas trees or natural decorations are permitted.
• Extension cords: Not permitted. An UL-approved power strip is permitted, but cannot be daisy chained together with another.

Per federal law, Shippensburg University is required to annually disclose statistical data on all fires that occur in on-campus, or contiguous off-campus student housing facilities. Fire statistics are available in the CLERY Annual Report.

Every residence hall facility (8) is protected by an automatic sprinkler system (100 percent coverage).

• Harley, Kieffer, Lackhove, McCune, McLean, Mowrey, Naugle, and Seavers halls are wet systems.
• The attic spaces in Harley, Kieffer, Lackhove, McCune, Naugle, and Seavers halls have dry systems in place.
• Every facility is monitored by a Siemens addressable fire alarm system, which reports all system conditions to the University Police Department. Room smoke detectors are a part of the fire alarm system, with smoke detectors in each room and a sounder base in each room as well.
• Emergency generators are provided for backup lighting, which provides backup power to the fire alarm system. Battery backup is also a part of the fire alarm system, assuring these systems will function even in a long-term power outage.
• Harley, Kieffer, Lackhove, McCune, Naugle, and Seavers halls have emergency notification tied to the fire alarm speakers, making it possible for university police to make an emergency notification to a single building, or any building with this system installed in it.

Mandatory Supervised Fire Drills

The Department of Public Safety, in conjunction with Residence Life, conducts a minimum of two drills per semester in each residence hall. Additional drills can be conducted during the year if staff warrants it.

Testing of Emergency Procedures and Evacuation

Fire drills and emergency evacuations are conducted annually in all academic buildings (at the start of the fall semester). Every drill includes a full evacuation of each building. The purpose of evacuation drills is to prepare building occupants for an organized evacuation in case of fire or other emergency. During the drill, occupants practice drill
procedures and familiarize themselves with the location of exits and the audible/visual notification capabilities of the fire alarm system. In addition to educating the occupants of each building about the evacuation procedures, the process also provides the university with an opportunity to perform the monthly test of the fire alarm system components.

Reporting Fires that are Found “After the Fact”

For fire incidents that are discovered “after-the-fact” or where it is uncertain that the Department of Public Safety has already been notified about a fire, students and employees are encouraged to report the incident to the Department of Public Safety to ensure the fire is investigated, if appropriate, and for inclusion in the annual fire statistics. If you find evidence of such a fire, or if you hear about such a fire, please contact the Department of Public Safety at (717) 477-1444 to initiate an incident report. If you encounter a fire that is actively burning, dial 911 for emergency assistance.

In addition to the Department of Public Safety, you may contact these offices regarding “after-the-fact” fires during regular business hours:

• Office of Residence Life and Housing (717) 477-1701
• Office of Environmental Health and Safety (717) 477-1446

When calling, please provide as much information as possible about the location, date, time, and cause of the fire.