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Policy

All University of Chicago students, staff, faculty, residents and visitors shall follow the University's Fire Emergency Plan during emergencies in high rise buildings.

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Authority and Responsibility

All University of Chicago divisions shall be responsible for the respective high rises in which they conduct business. The following divisions shall provide appropriate high rise fire emergency procedure resources for their appropriate buildings:

Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for:

  1. Assisting with the design of the site specific informational booklet;
  2. Partnering with divisions to obtain information for the plan tabulation data;
  3. Assisting with training emergency team personnel to obtain a City of Chicago Emergency Preparedness Certificate;
  4. Auditing University of Chicago high rise buildings to determine compliance;
  5. Reviewing the detailed floor plans, elevator lobby plans, evacuation plans and plan tabulation data periodically in conjunction with Facilities Services and building management;
  6. Submitting detailed floor plans, elevator lobby plans, evacuation plans and plan tabulation data to the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication;
  7. Participating in evacuation drills as required;
  8. Reviewing this policy annually; and
  9. Providing Fire Safety and Evacuation training.

The College, Biological Sciences Division, Physical Sciences Division and Chicago Booth School of Business are responsible for:

  1. Providing a Fire Safety Director when more than 25% of the buildings employees are present and when the building's occupancy is less than 20% of the total occupancy or when 20% of the building's total occupancy is met;
  2. Providing a Deputy Fire Safety Director when more than 25% of the building's employees are present and when the building's occupancy is less than 20% of the total occupancy capacity or when 20% of the buildings total occupancy is met if the Fire Safety Director is not present;
  3. Providing a Building Evacuation Supervisor when more than 25% of the building's employees are present and when the building's occupancy is less than 20% of the building's total occupancy capacity;
  4. Providing an emergency evacuation team on every floor who is knowledgeable about the building's evacuation routes when 20% of the building's total occupancy is met;
  5. Providing building occupants the site specific emergency response procedures as required by this policy;
  6. Coordinating two fire drills with Environmental Health and Safety as required by this policy; and
  7. Partnering with Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities Services, Physical Plant and any contractors hired by them to comply with gathering information for this code.

International House and Housing and Dining Services are responsible for:

  1. Providing a Fire Safety Director on-site from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM;
  2. Providing a Deputy Fire Safety Director on-site from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM when the Fire Safety Director is not present;
  3. Providing a Building Evacuation Supervisor at all other times when the Fire Safety and Deputy Fire Safety Director are not present;
  4. Providing an emergency evacuation team on every floor who is knowledgeable about the building's evacuation routes;
  5. Providing building occupants the site specific emergency response procedure as required by this policy;
  6. Coordinating two fire drills with Environmental Health and Safety as required by this policy; and
  7. Partnering with Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities Services and any contractors hired by them to comply with gathering information for this code.

Residential Services is responsible for:

  1. Providing building occupants the site specific emergency response procedures as required by this code; and
  2. Partnering with Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities Services and any contractors hired by them to comply with gathering information for this code.

Facilities Services and Physical Plant are responsible for:

  1. Partnering with Environmental Health and Safety to develop detailed floor plans and elevator lobby plans for all existing high rise buildings;
  2. Reviewing and modifying the detailed floor plans, elevator lobby plans and evacuation plans periodically with Environmental Health and Safety;
  3. Submitting the detailed floor plans and elevator lobby plans to Environmental Health and Safety;
  4. Ensuring stairwell signage is adequate;
  5. Ensuring elevator signage is adequate;and
  6. Ensuring elevator lobby plans are adequately placed in University high rise buildings upon approval from Environmental Health and Safety.

Contractors and Consultants are responsible for:

  1. Reviewing the University's fire safety and evacuation procedures for awareness.

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University High Rise Buildings

The City of Chicago classifies any building over eighty feet in height with an occupancy type of residential, assembly, open air assembly, business, mercantile or industrial as a high rise building. Current University of Chicago buildings with the status of high rise are:

  • Booth Graduate School of Business (5807 South Woodlawn Avenue);
  • GSB Gleacher Center (450 North Cityfront Plaza);
  • Broadview Hall (5540 South Hyde Park Boulevard);
  • Gordon Center for Integrative Sciences (929 East 57th Street);
  • International House (1414 East 59th Street);
  • Cummings Life Sciences (920 East 58th Street);
  • Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery (900 East 57th Street);
  • Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (1156 East 59th Street);
  • South Campus Residence Hall (6031 South Ellis Avenue);
  • Pierce Hall (5514 South University Avenue);
  • Cloister (5801-5811 Dorchester);
  • Stein Place (5825 Dorchester Avenue);
  • Shelbyrne Apartments (5110 Kenwood Avenue Avenue);
  • Fairfax Apartments (1369 Hyde Park Boulevard);
  • Carlson Hall (1401 Hyde Park Boulevard);
  • Piccadilly Apartments (5107 South Blackstone Avenue);
  • Faculty Apartments (6019 Ingleside Avenue); and
  • 6045 Kenwood Building (6045 South Kenwood Avenue).

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Emergency Team Personnel

It is the responsibility of the division occupying the high rise buildings to ensure that the emergency personnel team is present when required per this code.  Calculation examples for required personnel can be found under the High Rise Building - Requirement Calculation Example.  The emergency team personnel shall consist of the following members and their responsibilities.

The Fire Safety Director (FSD) is responsible for:

  1. Attending Fire Safety and Evacuation training annually;
  2. Applying for the required City of Chicago Emergency Preparedness Certificate with the coordination of Environmental Health and Safety;
  3. Occupying the fire command station with the "On-Call" Safety Officer to give information to the Chicago Fire Department during an emergency;
  4. Conducting monthly building safety inspections;
  5. Coordinating with Environmental Health and Safety to design procedures for evacuation drills;
  6. Assisting Environmental Health and Safety with evacuation drills; and
  7. Assigning Emergency Evacuation Team members as required.

The Deputy Fire Safety Director (DFSD) is responsible for:

  1. Attending Fire Safety and Evacuation training annually;
  2. Applying for the required City of Chicago Emergency Preparedness Certificate with the coordination of Environmental Health and Safety;
  3. Occupying the fire command station with the "On-Call" Safety Officer to give information to the Chicago Fire Department during an emergency in the absence of the Fire Safety Director;
  4. Coordinating with Environmental Health and Safety to design procedures for evacuation drills; and
  5. Assisting Environmental Health and Safety with evacuation drills.

The Building Evacuation Supervisor is responsible for:

  1. Attending Fire Safety and Evacuation training annually;
  2. Applying for the required City of Chicago Emergency Preparedness Certificate with the coordination of Environmental Health and Safety;
  3. Occupying the fire command station with the "On-Call" Safety Officer to give information to the Chicago Fire Department during an emergency in the absence of the Fire Safety Director and Deputy Fire Safety Director;
  4. Assisting the Fire Safety Director, Deputy Fire Safety Director and Environmental Health and Safety with evacuation drills; and
  5. Assisting the building occupants out of the building in an orderly fashion during an emergency.

There shall be an Emergency Evacuation Team (EET) present on all floors of the building. The EET is responsible for:

  1. Attending Fire Safety and Evacuation training annually;
  2. Assisting the building occupants out of the building in an orderly fashion during an emergency when directed by the Fire Safety Director, Deputy Fire Safety Director and Building Evacuation Supervisor; and
  3. Assisting the Fire Safety Director, Deputy Fire Safety Director and Building Evacuation Supervisor with evacuation drills.

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Training

Environmental Health and Safety, the affected division or department and the building manager shall ensure all required training is completed by employees covered under this policy.  The curriculum of the training program shall, at a minimum, cover the following:

  1. General fire safety and evacuation training;
  2. Site specific evacuation training;
  3. Roles and responsibilities of emergency team personnel;
  4. The City of Chicago Fire Safety Director study guide; and
  5. Handout with requirements on how to obtain the City of Chicago Emergency Preparedness Certificate.

The employees shall also be required to participate in on-the-job training and Fire Safety and Evacuation training provided by Environmental Health and Safety.  All training shall be documented by attendance rosters maintained by Environmental Health and Safety.  Training shall be provided before taking the City of Chicago Fire Safety Director Exam.

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Fire Drills

To ensure that all occupants of University high rise buildings recognize the evacuation signals and are familiar with evacuation routes during an emergency, the high rise buildings are required to conduct semi-annual fire drills.  The fire drill shall move occupants to safe locations in accordance with departmental procedures.  The fire drills shall be conducted by the building's Fire Safety Director in conjunction with Environmental Health and Safety.

Buildings requiring semi-annual fire drills are listed in the High Rise Buildings - Fire Emergency Procedure Requirements.

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Distribution of Information

All buildings listed as University high rises shall have a written site specific Fire Emergency Plan developed by Environmental Health and Safety in partnership with the affected unit or department and building manager. A copy of this plan shall be distributed to all tenants of the building and redistributed on an annual basis and if any changes are made throughout the year.

The Emergency Evacuation Plan shall, at a minimum, include the following:

  1. Evacuation map;
  2. Clear and concise instructions as to what occupants and Emergency Team Personnel should do in an emergency;
  3. Contact information for Emergency Team Personnel;
  4. General building information; and
  5. The University's fire response plan RACER.

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Emergency Evacuation Plan

All buildings listed under the University High Rise list in this policy shall have a site specific Emergency Evacuation Plan. The plans shall be consistent with the symbols approved by City of Chicago code 13-78 as it related to the development of Emergency Preparedness Plans. Each site specific emergency plan shall consist of Detailed Floor Pans, Elevator Lobby Plan, Evacuation Plans, and Plan Tabulation Data.

The Detailed Floor Plans (D-plans) shall at a minimum indicate locations for the following:

  1. Duress stations;
  2. Manual pull stations;
  3. Fire extinguishers;
  4. Area of rescue assistance;
  5. Defibrillators;
  6. Hazardous material locations;
  7. PA voice control panel;
  8. Annunciator panel;
  9. Fire department connections;
  10. Fire pump;
  11. Firemen's telephone;
  12. Emergency phones;
  13. HVAC shutoff;
  14. Gas shutoff;
  15. Electrical shutoff;
  16. Sprinkler control valves;
  17. Standpipe locations;
  18. Fire hose connections;
  19. Elevators;
  20. Smoke proof enclosures;
  21. Rolling/sliding fire doors; and
  22. Stairwell identification.

The Elevator Lobby Plan shall at a minimum indicate locations for the following:

  1. Duress stations;
  2. Manual pull stations;
  3. Fire extinguishers
  4. Defibrillators;
  5. Emergency phones;
  6. Elevators;
  7. Stairwells;
  8. You are here symbol;
  9. Call out boxes with stair number and the above listed items if necessary along with which floor the stairwell serves; and
  10. Evacuation routes from elevator lobbies to the nearest stairwell or exit.

The Evacuation Plans (E-plans) shall at a minimum indicate locations for the following:

  1. Duress stations;
  2. Manual pull stations; and
  3. Evacuation routes from all areas of the building to the nearest stairwell or exit.

The Plan Tabulation Data shall at a minimum indicate the following:

  1. Suite number with tenants names;
  2. Number of occupants per suite;
  3. Contact information for Emergency Team Personnel;
  4. Square footage of suite;
  5. Day and evening population of the floors; and
  6. Information regarding occupants needing assistance during an emergency, including normal floor location of the individual and type of assistance required.

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Submittal Process

The detailed floor plans, evacuation plans and tabulation data shall be submitted to the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications by Environmental Health and Safety. The plans shall be reviewed periodically by Environmental Health and Safety in partnership with the building manager and updated as necessary. The plans shall be filed and maintained in the building's Fire Department Information Center along with Environmental Health and Safety's general building information files.  If applicable, a copy of the plan shall be available at the security desk.  If there is not a security desk then the building manager will maintain a copy. The plans for Residential Services managed properties shall be filed and maintained in the elevator recall key box located on the main floor of the elevator lobby. The plans shall also be maintained with Environmental Health and Safety.

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Emergency Evacuation Procedures for Persons with Disabilities

Persons with disabilities requiring assistance with emergency evacuation from a building can voluntarily self-identify. This information can be submitted to the Environmental Health and Safety through a Confidential Questionnaire. A personal evacuation plan will be developed for the individual and the information regarding the assistance needed will be placed in the Fire Department Information Center with a copy maintained with Environmental Health and Safety. Refer to Emergency Evacuation Procedures for Persons with Disabilities for more information.

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Stairwell Identification

All University of Chicago buildings four or more stories in height shall have posted and maintained signage identifying the alpha numeric stairwell location and floor level. Signage shall be posted and maintained within every interior stairwell enclosure at every floor and located adjacent stairwell door. Adjacent to every stairwell door on the occupancy side a sign indicating the numeric stairwell location, floor level and floors which have re-entry shall be posted.

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Stairwell Doors

All University of Chicago buildings four or more stories in height shall have unlocked stairwell doors at all times or equipped doors with an electronic lock release mechanism. The electronic release mechanism shall be tied into the fire alarm system to unlock the doors at during any fire alarm activation.

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Elevator Identification

Every elevator car in high rise buildings shall be permanently marked to correspond with the building car position indicator within each car near the firemen's keyed control. The car position indicator shall also be posted on the upper left door jamb outside each elevator shaft at each floor.

Issued: October 2022

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