Fire and Life-Safety Group (FLS)

Fire Drill Emergency Plan for Underground Buildings

The following summarizes our written fire drill procedures for underground buildings, which are defined by the 2006 edition of the International Fire Code (IFC) as buildings or structures having a floor level used for human occupancy more than 30 feet below the lowest level of exit discharge.  

Exceptions:  

1. One and two-family dwellings, sprinklered in accordance with Section 903.3.1.3.
2. Parking garages with automatic fire suppression systems in compliance with Section 405.3.
3. Fixed quideway transit systems.
4. Grandstands, bleachers, stadiums, arenas and similar facilities.
5. Where the lowest story is the only story that would qualify the building as an underground building and has an area not exceeding 1,500 square feet and has an occupant load less than 10.

These occupancies are to conduct fire drills that meet the code requirements of the IFC, Sections 404 through 406, listed in Attachments A and C.  Please refer to the links below for Attachments.

I.   CODE REQUIREMENT SUMMARY

Based on the attached code requirements, fire drills are to be conducted for employees only.   The drills are to be conducted on an annual basis and are to provide training in the following areas:

1. Evacuations procedure and planning,
2. Location and use of portable fire extinguishers (when assigned),
3. Alarm response duties,
4. Location of assembly point(s),
5. Re-entry control and procedure.

The drills are to be conducted at unexpected times and under varying conditions and are to be initiated by activating the fire alarm system.   Evacuation plan training is to be conducted for all new employees during orientation and for all employees at least annually.   Please see Attachment C for evacuation plan code requirements.   Once occupants have arrived at the assembly point, efforts are to be made to determine that all occupants have evacuated or are otherwise accounted for.   Additionally, a record of the drills, documenting the time, the name(s) of the drill administrator(s) and other necessary information listed in the code section is to be kept on site for review by the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).  

Please see Attachments A and B if you need a more complete listing of the code requirements and recommendations.   For code requirements related to the fire evacuation plans and fire safety plans, follow the link to Attachment C.   Please see the links below for Attachments.

II. FIRE DRILL PREPARATION AND SCHEDULING PROCEDURE

A.   Drill Administrators' Duties:

1. Schedule the drill with Fire Systems Group (FSG) 303-492-0633 two to three weeks prior to the date of the drill.

   •  At the time of the fire drill, FSG will send an alarm tech who will activate the alarm system and then deactivate and re-set the system when the drill is completed.

•  The alarm tech will notify the campus Service Center to deactivate the 9-1-1 dispatch and will notify the Service Center when the drill is completed.

2. One week prior to the drill, notify the campus Fire Marshal mansour.alipour-fard@colorado.edu , the campus Service Center sdesk@facman.colorado.edu, the Department of Public Safety Michell.Irving@colorado.edu and the campus Emergency Planning Coordinator Sylvia.Dane@colorado.edu , and include the time, date and extent of coverage of the fire drill in your message.   The Service Center will convey that message to the responsible parties including CU Police Department (CUPD), the Boulder Fire Department (BFD) and University Risk Management.   In the message, the Service Center will invite the recipients of the email to attend the fire drill if they wish to do so.
3. Notify CUPD dispatch (303-492-6666) of the fire drill no later than two hours prior to the drill.
4. During the drill, drill administrators will walk the building and confirm that everyone has evacuated.
5. When the drill is completed and the alarm is silenced, the drill administrator will give the “all clear” call and signal for normal building operations to resume.

B.  Staff Duties:

1. Locate nearest exits to their respective areas prior to the drill.
2. With the guidance of the drill administrator, determine the location of a designated meeting place outside of the building prior to the drill.   Preferably, the designated outside meeting place is to be near the fire-crew response location e.g., in front of but away from the main entrance. (See Attachment D for guidelines.)
3. Account for all staff and inform responsible personnel of any missing persons, after evacuation.
4. Occasionally study the emergency evacuation plans, installed throughout all major campus buildings.

•  Attachment A - Code Requirements

•  Attachment B - Code Recommendations

•  Attachment C - Evacuation Plan Code Requirements

•  Attachment D - Choosing an Evacuation Location

•  Attachment E - High Hazard Occupancy Classifications

Please contact Mansour Alipour-fard at 303-492-4042 with further questions concerning the procedure for conducting fire drills.