The Fire & Life-Safety Group (FLS)

On-Campus Event Safety Guidelines

The following is a summary intended to address some, but not all, of the fire- and life-safety issues and concerns during on-campus events. All on-campus events need to comply with all applicable Building and Fire-Safety Codes, as well as any applicable local, state, or federal fire-safety requirements.

General

The event sponsor is responsible for both fire- and life-safety issues related to the event. In order to ensure event safety, the event sponsor needs to designate an Event Safety Representative to be responsible for communication with the Boulder Fire Department (BFD), the Campus Fire Marshal, University of Colorado Fire- and Life-Safety Group (FLS), University of Colorado Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), University of Colorado Police Department (CUPD) and Boulder Police Department (BPD) as necessary.

All campus events are subject to inspection by campus, local, state and federal regulators.

Operational Permits

All on-campus events need to be approved by the applicable campus and off-campus agencies. Any and all applicable operational permits need to be secured in a timely fashion well before any campus events.

Operational permits may be required from the Boulder Fire Department (BFD) the Fire- and Life-Safety Group (FLS) or both.

Written Emergency Plan

A written emergency plan needs to be submitted to the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) well before the planned event.

The written emergency plan needs to include:

 I. Site/Location

1. Provide Details and drawings showing:

    a. Fire Department Access

    b. Means of Egress

    c. Number of people expected

    d. Seating type/numbers and configuration

    e. Aisles and walkways

    f. Stage, wires, cables and equipment locations

    g. Concession and temporary restroom facility areas ww..(portable restrooms), fences, and barricades

    h. Supplemental or additional lighting

     i. Generators, heaters, tanks, and power supplies

II. Emergency Procedures

              •  Provide/Identify Responsible Person(s) who will ensure that     .............all requirements are met.

              •  Plan for Communication with 9-1-1 Dispatch.

•  Train person(s) responsible for communicating with ...... ...9-1-1 dispatch

•  Ushers

•  Ushers need to be trained for emergency situations

•  Ushers need to be capable of assisting in . . . . . . . .... ... ... ...emerergency evacuation

•  Plan for Maintaining Emergency Egress

•  Maintenance of aisle width

•  Ensuring that all exit doors/gates/turnstiles remain n.unlocked throughout the event

 III. Hazardous Materials

1. Provide to FLS and EH&S, an inventory of chemicals,        n..fuels , gases, etc. that will be used and stored on site.     n..List quantities, container types and sizes, as well as n..spill prevention measures implemented.

IV. Fire Safety

 1. Provide to FLS information regarding potential use of  n...the following during the event:

     a. Open Flame Devices

     b. Decorations (specify type, material, location)

     c. Special Effects (fireworks, smoke/fog machines, n.......lasers, special lighting) 

    d. Cooking Operations

Crowd Management

Event sponsors are responsible for crowd management and control. Access to the event needs to be controlled to prevent overcrowding.

Event staff need to ensure that aisles and walkways remain clear at all times.

Event staff are required to assist in evacuation during emergencies. As such, all event staff need to be knowledgeable of all exits and exit access pathways.

Electrical Safety

All extension cords need to be UL listed, preferably 3-prong plug.

Cords should be run so as not to present a tripping hazard. If necessary, the extension cord is to be secured to the ground to prevent tripping.

If the event requires extra electrical power, either inside or outside, please contact the Campus Electricians, or the Campus Service Center at (303) 492-5522 .

Open Flame

See the FLS website (http://fm.colorado.edu/firesafety/policies) under Candle Fire Safety and Open Flame Requirements for Assembly Occupancies .

Decorations

All decorations should be of a non-combustible nature, or need to be treated with a fire-retardant coating.

Decorations should not be hung from fire suppression system piping at any time.

Decorations should not obstruct exits, exit access, or exit signage. They should also not obstruct fire alarm pull stations or fire extinguishers, and remain clear of heat producing appliances.

Dried vegetation as well as wreaths, trees and other live vegetation are prohibited.

Special Effects

All special effects and pyrotechnic activities must be reviewed and approved (in writing) by both the Campus Fire Marshal and the BFD before they may be used in an event on campus.

For Fireworks please see the FLS webpage (http://fm.colorado.edu/firesafety/pyrotechniceffects.html) for applicable code sections and requirements. Also please see the requirements for open flame s in Assembly Occupancies (http://fm.colorado.edu/firesafety/conferences.html), as applicable.

Cooking

Please see the FLS webpage for applicable code sections and regulations involving Cooking and food preparation. The storage, preparation and distribution of food items requires approval from the CU-Environmental Health and Safety Department (EH&S) .

Extinguishers and Other Fire Suppression Equipment

Extinguishers and/or other Fire Suppression Equipment may be required on a case by case basis for on-campus events. Please contact the Campus Fire Marshal by e-mail at Mansour.Alipour-fard@colorado.edu or by phone at (303) 492-4042 and see http://fm.colorado.edu/firesafety/documents/IndoorFireSafetyChecklist.doc (FLS web page Event/Assembly Fire Safety Checklist)

Temporary Structures

Please see the FLS webpage (http://fm.colorado.edu/firesafety/temporarystructures.html) for requirements for Temporary Structures, such as tents and canopies.

Sound

Amplified sound and noisy activities must comply with the City of Boulder Noise Ordinance . Contact CU-EH&S for approvals.

Announcing the Locations of Exits

Immediately before the start of all events an announcement needs to be made identifying the locations of exits to be used during a fire or other emergency.