Fire Safety Report

January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2011

In accordance with an amendment to the Higher Education Act (HEA), any institution that maintains on-campus student housing facilities must now collect fire statistics, publish an Annual Fire Safety Report and keep a "fire log."  A log of all fires will be kept in the Security Office and made available for review upon request. The Annual Fire Report and fire statistics will be compiled by calendar year and disclosed to the University family by October 1st of the fall semester.

Fire Statistics in Campus Housing 

2011

2010 

2009

To view a list of all student housing facilities for which we maintain fire statistics, click on OPE Campus Security Statistics website, or access their web address: http://ope.ed.gov/security   To find the ETBU Fire Statistics click on Get Data For One Institution/Campus.  Then, enter East Texas Baptist University  in the name field in order to view the fire statistics.    

Fire Safety Systems for Residence Halls and Apartments

Feagin Hall (est. 1950) – Men’s residence hall (2 per room)

• Fire Alarm System with panel – smoke detectors in hallways
• Nine volt battery powered smoke detectors in each residence room
• Fire extinguishers in hallways and lobby
• Pull stations in hallways

Fry Hall (est. 1977, remodeled in 2008) – Men’s five bedroom apartments without kitchen

• Smoke detectors in every bedroom and lobby – 110 volt hardwired with battery backup
• Fire extinguishers (4) on walls of courtyard

Linebery Hall (est. 1961) – Women’s residence hall (2 per room)

• Fire Alarm System with panel – smoke detectors in hallways
• Nine volt battery powered smoke detectors in each residence room
• Fire extinguishers in hallways and lobby
• Pull stations in hallways

Mabee Hall (est. 1992) – Men’s four bedroom apartments with kitchen

• Fire Alarm System with panel
• Smoke detectors – five per apartment (4 bedrooms and living room)
• Fire extinguishers in 32 apartments and lobby
• Fire extinguishers in lobby and porches of courtyards
• Pull stations under covered walkways

Ornelas Residential Center (est. 1996) – Women’s four bedroom apartments with kitchen

• Fire alarm system with panel
• Smoke detectors – five per apartment (4 bedrooms and living room)
• Fire extinguishers in 48 apartments and lobby
• Fire extinguishers in lobby and porches of courtyards
• Pull stations under covered walkways

University Apartments (est. 2002) – Men and Women four bedroom apartments with kitchen

• Smoke detectors in every bedroom – 110 volt hardwired with battery backup
• Smoke detector in lobby and Director’s apartment
• Fire extinguishers in every apartment and lobby

Van Zandt Apartments (est. 1978/1981) – One and two bedroom apartments

• Fire extinguishers in every apartment
• Fire extinguishers in hallways and under covered porches
• Nine volt battery powered smoke detectors in each apartment

NOTE: In residence halls with battery powered smoke detectors the batteries are checked and changed twice a year.

Family  Housing (campus houses for student families)

• Nine volt battery powered smoke detectors in each house
• Fire extinguishers in each house

Community Living Policies

The University is an alcohol/drug/weapon/tobacco free campus. All students are prohibited from having alcohol, drugs, weapons and/or tobacco on campus, in their automobiles, or on their person at any time.

Candles, open flames, incense lighters, or matches are prohibited in campus housing due to their potential as fire hazards.

In Feagin, Fry and Linebery, the following cooking appliances are prohibited from use: ovens, skillets, hotplates, crock pots, toasters, microwaves and electric heaters. Those items listed above are permitted in the following residential facilities: Mabee, Ornelas, and University Apartments.

In Feagin, Fry and Linebery, micro fridge units are allowed in residence hall rooms, but refrigerators have to be equal to or less than 2.5 cubic feet in size and draw no more than 1.5 amps.

Small coffee pots are allowed in all residence hall rooms.

Fire Prevention

Students should take responsibility to ensure halls are free of fire hazards. Students shall ensure that all fire equipment, fire doors, and fire exits remain unobstructed in their residential hall. Open flames such as candles, incense, matches, or lighters, are prohibited due to their potential as fire hazards. Irons and cooking appliances should never be left on when the room is unoccupied. Electrical outlets should never be overloaded.

Emergency Contacts

In the event of an emergency or fire related incident students are encouraged to contact 911 and then notify a Resident Director (RD) or Resident Assistant (RA).   In each residence hall room or apartment there is a posted directory containing emergency contact numbers and the email address of the Resident Director.  At the beginning of the school year, Resident Directors emailed their residents a list of names and contact numbers to use in an emergency.  All residents are strongly encouraged to place that contact list in their cell phones.

Fire Evacuation Procedures

First Alarm Sounds

• Residents should check their immediate area for any obvious indications of a fire or other cause for the alarm. If none are observed, they should be on the alert for a second alarm.
• Residents should use common sense and remain calm.

Second Alarm Sounds

• Staff members will investigate the cause of each alarm and will sound a second sustained alarm if one is needed. This second alarm should sound within minutes after the completion of the first alarm.
• Residents should take their room keys with them and begin an immediate and orderly evacuation along the designated routes. They should exit the building and wait for instructions or permission to reenter the building.
• Residents should not run. They should move quickly out the nearest designated stairwell and exit.
• Staff members will check rooms, baths, closets and lobby areas of the halls. Anyone who does not evacuate or comply with the instructions of  staff members may face disciplinary action.
• The residence hall staff will signal that the building is safe and ready for reentry. No one is to reenter until the signal is given by ETBU personnel.

Procedures for Fire evacuation are posted in each student’s room/apartment.

Fire Safety Education

Mandatory supervised fire drills are conducted once each semester in the following residential facilities: Feagin, Fry, Linebery, Mabee, and Ornelas. Drills are scheduled after 10:00PM in the evening to assure that the maximum numbers of residents are present to participate in the drill.

No fire drills are mandated for University Apartments or Van Zandt Apartments.

Fire Safety Inspections

All campus buildings are inspected annually (before the fall semester begins) by the Marshall Fire Department. All fire alarms systems and sprinkler systems are inspected and tested annually, Also, all fire extinguishers are inspected and serviced on an annual basis.

Future improvements to Fire Safety Program

The University will continually evaluate our program to see if potential changes are needed to improve the safety of our students living in campus housing.

The Office of Student Affairs will require safety education and training for all students living in our residence halls or apartments this year. This training will take place during mandatory meetings in each residence hall and will involve discussing fire safety responsibilities as well as evacuation routes. It will also include Fire Safety  notifications via email and Facebook groups. This education and training in another format will also be required of students living in Van Zandt Apartments and our campus houses. Evacuation routes including fire safety zones will be posted in each residential hall during this school year.