A fire drill on the Brighton campus was conducted on Wednesday, 10/8/08 at approximately 1:50pm. Drills are required by the New York State Education Law and the Fire Code of New York State; they are also the right thing to do. Every member of the college community deserves to have the knowledge of the fastest and safest method to evacuate campus buildings.
Specific instructions for evacuation of the Brighton and Damon City Campuses are available online at the Safety/Hazard Prevention web site. The link is: <<https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/pstd/HAZARD.htm>> . Faculty members can add the link to their course information.
The PowerPoint presentation provides information on exactly what to do in the event of an emergency evacuation and lists the locations where persons with disabilities can safely assemble to await rescue by emergency responders if a true emergency situation existed.
It is very important to move as far away from the buildings as possible. This would include moving out of the courtyards and the area directly in front of the main loop. These are the emergency access routes for fire and rescue apparatus. Remaining in those areas could become unsafe as fire trucks and other emergency vehicles will be responding to these areas in a true emergency. Members of the college faculty, staff and administration should lead the way from these locations, taking the remainder of the college community with them. As a rule, everyone should be a minimum of 50 feet away from the buildings.
On the Damon Campus, it is imperative that after exiting the emergency exit stairwell you walk as far up the street as possible to allow the person behind you to also step clear of the stairwell.
Fire drills also provide the Safety office with an evaluation of the operation of the fire alarm system horns and strobes. These are the devices that alert you to an emergency. During the drill we discovered that the Bldg 11 horns and strobes did not activate. That situation has been corrected and the system fully tested during the overnight hours.
As a final thought: Do not assume that a fire alarm is just a drill. If you hear a fire alarm sounding or see a strobe flashing in your building, evacuate via the closest exit and remain outside until instructed to re-enter the building.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. My e-mail is: <<mailto:mgilmore@monroecc.edu>>
Martin Gilmore
Safety
10/20/2008 |