Good Morning!

September is Campus Fire Safety Month, and here at SUNY Poly - Utica, we want to encourage everyone to be Fire Safe.  We are making an effort to increase fire safety awareness in a number of ways.

We are reaching out to our students via the Student Announcements to reinforce some of the topics we cover during the Fire Safety presentation to all First-Year students during orientation weekend.  These announcements are occurring 2 to 3 times a week and include some important reminders as well as links to videos that give additional information or serve as poignant reminders that fires occur regularly on college campuses or in off-campus housing, and students are often severely injured or die.

The Student announcements can be found on the News and Announcements blog at https://sunypoly.edu/apps/blogs/news/.  Please feel free to check them out - some of the information applies to everyone.

In the near future, we will be conducting classroom Fire Safety training for faculty and staff.  We will also be updating some of our online offerings to give everyone an opportunity to be more aware of fire hazards and actions we can all take to be safe in the event of an emergency.

In the meantime, please consider the following...

1. Fire Drills / Evacuation Practice.  We are required to conduct fire drills according to Building Code regulations.  These drills often occur at inconvenient times.  We understand that this can impact class times and work related functions.  Your cooperation during these events will help to reduce the time required for the drills.  Besides preparing us for a real event, these drills give us an opportunity to evaluate and revise our evacuation procedures and deal with any problems we encounter.
2. False Alarms- We have had false or non-fire related alarm activation in some of our buildings (sometimes multiple times in one day).  Please treat all alarms as if there is an actual fire or emergency condition. 
3. Keep Exits clear and doors closed.  In order to get out safely in an emergency, all exit ways need to be free from obstruction.  Do not store any items in hallways or block doors.  Fire doors are generally meant to be kept closed.
4. Important numbers to know - University Police - 315-792-7111 or 7111 from a campus phone.  Environmental Health & Safety Office - 315-792-7101.  Facilities Department - 315-792-7456.

Check out the following video ("Getting Out Safely") from the People's Burn Foundation - IGot2Kno.org website - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfvAALlqkEA.

And, watch our fire safety videos streaming on the campus TV Channel 10 and watch for fire safety reminders throughout campus.  Together we can ensure a Fire Safe community.

Please email the EHS office at clives@sunypoly.edu or SUNYPOLYEHS@sunypoly.edu if you have any questions.

Be safe and enjoy your day!

Sean Clive, Director - Environmental Health & Safety Office