Fire Safety
Fire equipment and procedures are life-saving matters. It is imperative that students abide by all New York State fire safety regulations, including that all fire exits must remain open, accessible, and available for inspection at all times by state and local fire safety officials. Students may face disciplinary action in certain instances. A minimum of a $150 fine to a maximum fine of $500 will be levied in all cases involving fire safety, plus any associated cost of repairs; community service and other forms of restitution and education may also be required of students who violate fire safety regulations. Fines are issued to: persons who are responsible for false fire alarms or negligent behavior resulting in a fire alarm; persons found tampering with fire extinguishers or alarms; persons engaging in behavior or possessing objects which are construed as a fire hazard and for tampering, blocking, or propping fire control doors or other designated fire exits. Fines are intended as a deterrent against such actions, as the potential impact on the community, both the campus and local community is high. Local volunteer fire departments are required by law to respond to all fire alarms on campus regardless of cause. False fire alarms, improper discharge of fire extinguishers causing a fire alarm, and other such offenses are serious policy violations as they take equipment out of use that could be needed for a true fire or emergency, potentially slow response time from the local departments, and require volunteers to leave their employment or families.
Any student found responsible for an actual fire in a building, even accidental, may be charged for all resulting damage, may have housing privileges revoked, be suspended or expelled from the College. If the fire was an intentional fire a fine will be added to any associated costs. Additionally, violations of the college’s fire safety policies are subject to fines imposed by both the college, and New York State. Fines imposed by New York State cannot be reversed by the college.
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