Newberry College

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315) became law in August 2008. It requires all United States academic institutions to produce an annual fire safety report outlining fire safety practices, standards, and all fire-related on-campus statistics. The following public disclosure report details all information required by this law as it relates to Newberry College:

Annual Fire Safety Report

Fire Safety Equipment

Room Entry and Inspection

Fire Definitions

Fire Policies for On-Campus Student Housing Facilities

2011 Fires Reported by Building Location

2011 Fire Safety and Evacuation Drills by Residence Halls

Annual Fire Safety Report

Fire Log

Colleges must keep a fire log that states the nature of the fire, date, time, and general location of each fire in on-campus student housing facilities. Newberry College complies with this rule by including all fire-related incidents in the Daily Crime and Fire Log. Information will be made available during normal business hours within two (2) business days of a request for public inspection.

Annual Fire Safety Report

Colleges with on-campus student housing facilities must publish annually a fire safety report that provides information on campus fire safety practices and standards. Newberry College complies with this regulation by including all fire-related incidents at on-campus student housing facilities as part of the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report. Information contained in this annual fire safety report includes: number and cause of fires at all on-campus student housing facilities; number of fire-related deaths; related injuries; value of fire-related property damage; information on evacuation procedures; fire safety education and training programs; fire safety systems in each student housing facility; number of regular mandatory supervised fire drills; and policies on portable electrical appliance, smoking and open flames. The Annual Security & Fire Safety Report must include three (3) years of data.* If a fire occurs in any building, community members should immediately call 911 and then call Newberry College Campus Security by dialing 833-3949. Newberry Fire Department will respond to all fires on campus. If a member of the College community finds evidence of a fire that has been extinguished, and the person is not sure whether Campus Security has already responded, the community member should immediately notify Campus Security to investigate and document the incident. The campus fire alarm systems alert community members of potential hazards. Community members are required to heed an activated fire alarm system, and evacuate a building immediately. Use the nearest available exit to evacuate the building. Gather outside at a primary predetermined site as noted in the Student Handbook and training by the Residence Life Coordinators and RA’s. Community members should familiarize themselves with the exits in each building. When a fire alarm is activated, do not use the elevators in the buildings. Occupants should use the stairs to evacuate the building. If you are caught in the elevator, push the emergency phone button. The emergency phones in elevators on campus ring to Campus Security.

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Fire Safety Equipment

Fire doors, alarms, pull stations, extinguishers and smoke detectors have been installed in all of the residence halls for the safety of all residents. Breaking, covering, tampering with, disassembling, or illegal use of any of the above mentioned devices will result in a fine up to $1,000.00, cost of repairs, and possible criminal charges. Any false alarm will result in a fine(s) for individual(s) involved. If it cannot be determined who pulled the alarm, then a community fine will be assessed to all residents of that residence hall. It is mandatory to evacuate a college building when a fire alarm sounds.

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Room Entry and Inspection

The College reserves the right to enter rooms, including organization rooms, for the purpose of making routine administrative and safety inspections, and when an authorized agent of the College has reasonable cause to believe:

• That an occupant may be physically harmed or endangered.
• That significant damage is being done to college property.
• That college policy or an applicable law has been or is being violated.
• That housekeeping, maintenance and/or repair is necessary.
• Vacation inspections consisting of a visual search for fire, health and policy violations.

Entry by Newberry College authorities into assigned rooms in residence halls will be divided into three categories: inspections, search and emergency.

1. Inspection – the entry by college officials into an occupied room in order to ascertain the general welfare of students, to determine health and safety conditions in the room, to check the physical conditions of the room, to make repairs on facilities, or to perform cleaning and janitorial operations. Inspection is not necessarily conducted in the presence of the room occupant(s).
2. Search – The entry by college officials into an assigned room for the purpose of (1) investigating suspected violations of campus regulations and/or city, state or federal law and (2) investigating circumstances that require immediate attention. Two college officials will conduct searches of rooms. Searches are not necessarily conducted in the presence of the room occupant(s). Searches conducted by local, state or federal police will require a valid search warrant or consent of the party whose person or property is to be searched.
3. Emergency – The entry by college authorities into an assigned room when there is perceived imminent danger to persons, properties or buildings. Emergency entry is not necessarily conducted in the presence of the room occupant(s).

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Fire Definitions

Fire: Rapid oxidation of combustible material accompanied by heat, light and smoke of combustible material, which is found outside of its normal appliance, whether or not it is extinguished prior to arrival of emergency.

Fire-related Deaths: Number of persons who were fatalities because of a fire incident, including death resulting from a natural or accidental cause while involved in fire control, attempting a rescue, or persons escaping from the fire scene (an individual who dies within one (1) year of injuries sustained as a result of a fire).

Fire-related Injuries: Number of persons receiving injuries from fire-related incidents, including an injury from a natural or accidental cause who received medical treatment at a local medical facility. This includes first responders attempting to control the fire, attempting a rescue, or persons escaping from the fire scene. Persons may include students, faculty, staff, visitors, firefighters, or any other individuals.

Estimated U.S. Dollar Loss Related to Fire Incidents: Estimated total U.S. dollar loss of both contents and structure or property destroyed because of a fire incident, not loss of business.

Evacuation Procedures Posted: When a fire alarm is activated, evacuation is mandatory. DO NOT use elevators; evacuate the building using the nearest available exit and proceed to a predetermined site to begin an accountability and assessment process.

Fire Alarms Monitored: Fire alarms are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.

Fire Safety Training Programs Delivered: A number of training programs are delivered responsible persons of authority within the College to occupants of residence halls, fraternities and sororities concerning fire prevention and preparedness.

Buildings Equipped with Fire Alarm Systems and Smoke Detectors: Buildings have functional fire alarm systems and smoke detectors installed. Please note, all residence halls are equipped with a functional fire alarm system and smoke detectors.

Buildings Protected with Automatic Sprinkler System Throughout: Indicates an automatic sprinkler system protects all areas of a building. Please note, not all residence halls are equipped with sprinkler systems throughout.

Emergency Evacuation Drills (formerly known as Fire Drills): The number of supervised scheduled drills or actual events at campus residence halls, are facilitated and certified in cooperation with assigned Campus Services personnel. Various drills are conducted throughout the year to familiarize students, faculty and staff with emergency procedures and individual roles. All academic and administrative buildings undergo one emergency drill each year.

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Fire Policies for On-Campus Student Housing Facilities

Electrical Appliances

The residence halls were built and electrically wired in accordance with the standards and use in existence at the time of construction. Students may not make any changes to the electrical system. The College will not assume any responsibility for damages to any electrical appliance, TV set, radio or other electrical device due to variations in the electric current; nor to any device connected to a college-provided service such as cable TV, the data network or the telephone network. Residence halls have definite limits on the capabilities of their electrical systems. Overloading these systems can present a fire and safety hazard.

The following appliances ARE NOT ALLOWED be used in student rooms:

• Halogen Lamps
• Christmas lights
• Non U/L approved appliances
• Open-faced electrical or heating appliances, such as irons, coffee pots, hot plates, broilers, space heaters, immersion heaters or toaster ovens, George Foreman type grills
• Sun lamps
• Air conditioners (excepts as provided by the College)
• Only refrigerators no larger than 1.2 to 2.0 amps or larger than 3.2 cubic feet
• Any form of extension cord

The following appliances ARE ALLOWED be used in student rooms:

• Portable television sets are permitted in student rooms.
• Radios, stereos, desk lamps, etc., are permitted provided the total electrical requirements do not exceed the capabilities of the system and equipment is kept in safe operating condition. No outside antennas are permitted.

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2011 Fires Reported By Building Location

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2011 Fire Safety and Evacuation Drills by Residence Halls

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