Policy
All buildings owned by the University of Chicago, with the exception of residential properties, shall have a Pre-Fire Safety Plan developed and available on-site.
Authority and Responsibility
Associate Director, Emergency Management is responsible for:
- Coordinating this program;
- Developing a pre-fire safety plan;
- Scheduling the pre-fire safety plan walk-through with the appropriate departments;
- Compiling pertinent building information on the pre-fire safety plan;
- Maintaining current building information on the plan;
- Reviewing the pre-fire safety plan annually to ensure building information is current;
- Making information accessible to emergency response personnel; and
- Arranging and conducting tours of University buildings with Chicago Fire Department personnel.
Components
Environmental Health and Safety in cooperation with the City of Chicago Fire Department has developed a pre-fire safety plan program. This program involves three components: a written pre-fire safety plan, accessibility of the pre-fire safety plan and periodic tours of the facility building by Chicago Fire Department personnel.
Gathering Pre-Fire Safety Plan Data
Frequency
The Pre-Fire Safety Plan walk-through shall be conducted annually to ensure that current data for the building is gathered.
Scheduling
The Associate Director for Emergency Management shall contact the Department Director or Facility Manager to arrange a walk-through of the building for the purpose of collecting and/or updating data for the pre-fire safety plan. The walk-through, whenever possible, shall be conducted as part of the Fire/General Safety Review.
Conducting the Pre-Fire Safety Plan Walk-Through
The Associate Director for Emergency Management shall:
- Contact the Department Director or Facility Manager prior to performing the pre-fire safety plan walk-through to obtain pertinent building information through consultation;
- Ensure a Department Director, Facility Manager, facility engineer or other designated representative accompanies the Environmental Health and Safety representative during the walk-through to ensure access can be obtained to all areas within the building;
- Gather all the information on the pre-fire safety plan form. If a section on the pre-plan does not pertain to that particular building, the section shall read as “None in Building” or “Not Applicable”; and
- Ensure the most recent set of floor plans for the building are available. If updated plans are necessary, they shall be obtained by accessing the University’s Space Management updated files.
Accessibility of the Pre-Fire Safety Plan
The pre-fire safety plans shall be kept in a locked box that is identified as the “Fire Department Information Center”. The Center shall be located at the designated entrance that emergency personnel would use when responding to a given building in the event of a fire or other emergency.
Environmental Health and Safety shall maintain electronic copies of all pre-fire safety plans for each building and distribute a disk copy to the Chicago Fire Department.
The Fire Department Information Center is keyed using the City of Chicago Fire Department standard locking mechanism. Only the Chicago Fire Department and Environmental Health and Safety have the key.
Periodic Fire Department Tours
The Associate Director of Emergency Management shall arrange with the Chicago Fire Department District Chief or Deputy District Chief periodic tours of the University’s buildings. These tours shall include fire department personnel, representatives from Environmental Health and Safety and any other persons that are needed to facilitate an understanding of the building. The purpose of the tours is for Chicago Fire Department personnel to become thoroughly familiar with the building’s layout, contents, construction and fire protection features. Prior to the tour, a representative from Environmental Health and Safety shall inform the Department Director or Facility Manager of the building that personnel from the Chicago Fire Department will be touring the building for the purpose of pre-fire safety planning.
Reviewed: October 2022