Rutgers University is required by the Pubic Employees Occupational Safety and Health Act (PEOSHA) to develop and implement a Fire Prevention Plan meeting the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.39. Copies of this plan are reproduced in this electronic format for your reference. All employees must adhere to and be familiar with the requirements of each plan.
Fire Prevention Plan
Under the authority of the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, The Rutgers University Department of Emergency Services' Fire Safety Division is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code, and is the authority having jurisdiction concerning fire safety regulations, policies and procedures. The Fire Safety Division is staffed with State certified fire inspectors who regularly inspect all University premises to assure compliance with fire safety regulations, test fire protection systems and equipment, and conduct employee training programs to familiarize staff with fire hazards and procedures to be followed in an emergency. Furthermore, employees are apprised of the fire hazards of the materials and processes with which they work during state-mandated Right-to-know training.
Effective July 1, 1994, by action of the Rutgers Board of Governors, smoking is prohibited in all University buildings and within University-owned motor vehicles, thus eliminating the health and fire hazards associated with the use of smoking materials. A permit system for control of welding and cutting is in place within the Facilities organization to control this potential fire hazard. All other hazards are regulated through the inspection procedures.
University buildings are equipped with fire extinguishers following the requirements of the construction and/or fire safety codes. Employees are not expected to utilize these devices nor are they trained in their use due to the danger of their safety, which would result from attempting to extinguish a fire. Many buildings are protected by automatic sprinkler systems and others are provided with fire standpipe systems. All major buildings are equipped with automatic fire detection and alarm systems, which are constantly, monitored at the respective University Police Department stations. Special hazards, such as chemical storage, high voltage electrical, cooking, spray painting, and computer installations are protected by fixed suppression systems in addition to the aforementioned types of built-in protection. There are no fire hoses for building occupant use located in any University building; only fire hose connections for fire department use exist.
The University's Fire Safety Division is staffed by Fire Safety Inspectors, Fire Safety Specialists, Fire Officers, and Fire Alarm System Specialists.
Fire safety inspections generate formal, written Notices of Violation, which are issued to the individual responsible for the correction of an observed fire hazard. Reinspections are established and are conducted. There is a process that is followed for granting extensions of time for hazard abatement, as well as handling uncorrected cited hazards.
All fire protection systems are inspected at the frequencies required by the Uniform Fire Code. These include automatic sprinkler systems, standpipe systems, fixed suppression systems, fire alarm systems, emergency power generators, fire pumps, fire extinguishers, and fire hydrants.
The Fire Safety Division is empowered, by New Jersey Regulation, to order the abatement of cited fire hazards, to assess penalties for non-compliance, and to issue punitive closing notices and vacate buildings where uncorrected hazards exist.
For further information regarding fire safety, to request assistance in developing office fire safety plans, or to schedule a fire safety training session contact the Fire Safety Division at New Brunswick at (732) 932-4800.
Contacts
- Campus Health Safety Specialists
- Emergency Services - Fire Safety Division (732) 932-4800
