Fire Safety

Fire Safety is taken very seriously at Case Western Reserve University.  As part of the department of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) the Fire and Life Safety Specialist handles a variety of different tasks to ensure that the University is safe and code competent. 

We in the Fire Safety department are responsible for:

  • Routine fire prevention inspections;
  • Training;
  • Fire drills;
  • Emergency response;
  • Hot work inspections;
  • Red tags;
  • Building emergency planning;
  • Fire code related plan: reviews for building renovation/new construction;
  • Special event planning;
  • Regular inspections of other life safety equipment such as: 
    • Sprinkler systems/standpipes;
    • Means of egress (hallways, stairwells, etc.);
    • Fire alarms;
    • Fire extinguishers; and Special fire protection.

We ask the CWRU community to never tamper with fire safety equipment such as: pull stations, fire alarms, exit/emergency lights, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and sprinkler systems. Please never attempt to disable or cover a room smoke detector or sprinkler head. Never store trash, bicycles, furniture or other items in hallways, stairwells, or in front of doors. This practice could interfere with a safe exit from a building.  Never prop open any stairwell doors. In the event of a fire, deadly smoke and fumes will be effectively stopped by a closed door and will provide much-needed time for occupants to safely exit the building.

No candles or open flame devices! If you have one for any reason, send it home immediately or, if you live in a residence hall, ask your resident advisor to store it for you until you can remove it. The most recent fires on this campus as well as others across the country have been started by unattended burning candles. Therefore, our rule is no candles, period. Also, no oil lamps heaters, grills or other open-flame devices.

Please keep the "fire load" in your room, office, and building to a minimum. It's not the building itself that burns easily. It's the flammable material with which we fill the building that burns! When removing trash do not block hallways or exit doors, if the trash starts building up please take it outside of the building to a dumpster or call Customer Service to have it removed.  Also, the amount of wall decorations in your room should be limited to 25% of the wall surface. Never hang or attach anything to the ceiling.

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