
All members of the Montclair State University Community are, by State law, required to review the Fire Evacuation Plan and to review the staging area and exit plans for the building in which the community members work, attend class, and/or reside; this information is available under section IX, Staging and Accountability, of the fire evacuation plan. This is to be done on an annual basis. Go to the Fire Evacuation Form to confirm that you have reviewed this information.
The objective of this document is to provide the campus community access to a comprehensive plan for the emergency evacuation of buildings and, in doing so, to comply with the International Fire Code, as adopted by the State of New Jersey in effect as of February, 2009.
This document is applicable to all persons on the campus of Montclair State University, including faculty, staff, students, and visitors.
Review the fire evacuation plan for the room(s) in the building(s) in which you are assigned to conduct class(es) and in which you have an office. Locate all exit routes, secondary exit routes, and staging areas. During the first week of class or when a new student transfers to the class, review the evacuation plan, routes, and staging area with the students. In the event of an alarm, escort/lead students out of the building and report to the staging area. At this time, account for your students and report any missing students to the building manager. For further information on building managers, see Section IX, Staging and Accountability, of this plan.
Review the fire evacuation plan for the roosm(s) in the building(s) in which you are assigned to work. Locate all exit routes, secondary exit routes, and staging areas. In the event of an alarm, immediately leave the building and report to the staging area. Managers and department heads are tasked with for designating a person to be responsible for accounting for the persons in their department or area(s) in the event that an emergency evacuation must occur. This person will take a head count (henceforth, “accountability") and report any unaccounted-for individuals to the building manager.
Community Directors are ultimately responsible for the fire safety plan in their respective buildings. It is the Community Director’s responsibility to make sure that each Community Assistant and each Desk Assistant is aware of the emergency plan for his/her respective buildings. During their initial floor meeting each semester, Community Assistants will give fire safety information to the students whom they supervise. Upon a fire alarm activation, Community Assistants and Desk Assistants are to evacuate the building along with the rest of the students. Once at the staging area, the Community Assistants, aided by the Desk Assistants, are to account for their residents. Any abnormalities (e.g. missing or otherwise unaccounted for students) are to be immediately reported to the Building Manager or to University Police. Under no circumstance should any student or student employee remain in a building during an evacuation, unless expressly directed to do so by emergency personnel.
Fire Evacuation maps can be found at www.montclair.edu/facilities/fire/exitplans.
At no time should an employee of Montclair State University remain in a building when an alarm is sounding. The only exceptions to this are emergency personnel (e.g. the police department or a representative of the Department of Fire Safety). In the event that an unsafe condition exists, all such persons are to leave the building immediately.
As with all groups staying overnight on the Campus of Montclair State University, Summer Camps and other related groups will be responsible for their emergency evacuation and accountability. The person responsible for the entire group (henceforth, “the Supervisor"), is responsible for ensuring that all of his or her campers or building occupants are aware of this plan. In the event that the Supervisor has counselors, or other similar staffing, to whom this duty may be delegated, he or she may delegate this duty to those individuals.
Supervisors, or their delegated counselors, are to review the emergency egress plan with the building occupants. Please take note that the way you enter a building is not necessarily the closest exit. Familiarize yourselves with the building before an emergency occurs. Additionally, all occupants should be aware of the designated staging areas prior to the occurrence of an emergency.
In the event of an alarm, all building occupants are to immediately exit the building. Elevators are not to be used. Upon exiting the building, all occupants are to gather at the designated staging areas. Once the occupants are staged, accountability, in the form of a head-count, is to be taken. If counselors are taking the accountability, their findings must be reported to the Supervisor immediately. Any discrepancy is to be immediately reported to the Campus Police Department, by either reporting to an officer upon his or her arrival on scene or by dialing campus police at 973-655-5222. It is important to remember to always err on the side of caution.
In the event that an individual is unable to exit the building, whether because of a physical impairment or due to a fire condition in the hallway, that person is to remain in his or her room and notify Campus Police at (973) 655-5222. As a general practice, any group staying overnight should have the Campus Police Department’s telephone number programmed into their cellular telephone.
All employees will report to the building’s staging area in the event of a building evacuation. It is the responsibility of the hall directors, managers, and department heads to identify a responsible person (or persons, such as in the case of the residence hall directors) and a back-up person (or persons) to account for all employees, faculty, staff, students, and guests in their area at all times. This person will establish a meeting area within the staging area designated for each building (See Exit and Evacuation maps at www.montclair.edu/facilities/fire/exitplans for more details on staging areas) where, in the event of an emergency, his or her employees will meet. At the staging area, this person will account for all employees that are in his or her work area and report his or her findings to a Building Manager or an Assistant Building Manager. A Building Manager and Assistant Building Manager will be assigned to each building by the Dean or Vice President who is in charge of said building. The Building Manager is to remain at a centralized area within the staging area until accountability is taken and reported. In the event that a Building Manager is unavailable, the Assistant Building Manager will act as the Building Manager. Once all departments have checked in with the Building Manager, he or she will report to the front of the building and give his or her findings to a University Police officer.
Emergency aid (including emergency medical and rescue needs) will be provided by the University Police Department, the University Emergency Medical Services, and local fire departments. To receive services from these organizations, contact University Police at 973-655-5222.
In the event of an instance where a building needs to be evacuated and no fire condition exists, emergency responders may activate the fire alarm system to signal the need to evacuate the building. Notification may also be made through electronic voice communication systems (located in several of the University’s buildings), the campus text message alert system, and through e-mail. In the event that a fire exists in a building, the automatic alarm system will notify the occupants of the hazard. Manual pull stations may also be used to activate this system.
All fire alarm systems and campus wide emergency phones are monitored at University Police headquarters. In the event of a fire alarm activation, the University Police Department contacts the appropriate fire department via phone or local police and fire radio frequencies. After they evacuate, assuming they have pertinent information, employees, students, or others are asked to contact University Police in the event of a fire. The additional data that can be gathered through your phone calls greatly helps responders in their response to our campus.
Those employees who, as part of their job, are tasked with assignments which pose a fire hazard are to receive fire safety and extinguisher training. Examples of such employees include, but are not limited to, plumbers, welders, electricians, and employees assigned to conduct or oversee "hot work."
For further information and explanation of the duties under this plan, you may contact Robert Ferrara, Director of Fire Safety, at 973-655-5401.
Academic Support
Support Services
My Links