Fire Safety Responsibility
The Department of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) is responsible for fire safety and emergency response on campus and works in conjunction with the Chapel Hill Fire Department. The Fire Safety and Emergency Response section of EHS is responsible for enforcing the NC Building and Fire Codes, investigating fire incidents, developing evacuation procedures, fire safety public education, and maintaining fire alarm and extinguishing systems.
Plan-Do-Check-Act Management System
The Fire Safety Section conducts an annual review of internal processes, customer service efforts, and educational accomplishments based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act system of improvements. Plan-Do-Check-Act is a universal management system designed to ensure continuous improvements by incorporating a four-step process model of ongoing monitoring, review, and revision of procedures and policies. The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is a four-step process model for carrying out change, cycling through each step for continuous improvement.
Fire Safety Staff
The Fire Safety section is staffed by four employees with extensive training and experience in fire safety. Information about these employees and their background is provided below.
University Fire Marshal, Fire Safety and Emergency Response Manager:
- Fourteen years of experience in fire safety and emergency response
- Certified Fire Marshal and Fire Inspector Level I/II
- Certified Fire Protection Specialist
- Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator
- Hazardous Materials Technician
- Hazardous Materials Incident Commander
- Fire and Life Safety Educator, Level II
- NC Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate
- American Heart Association CPR and First Aid Instructor
Fire Safety Professional:
- Eight years’ experience in fire safety
- Bachelor Degree in Fire Safety Engineering Technology
- Hazardous Materials Technician
- Emergency Responder
- Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200, 300, 400
Fire Safety Professional:
- Eleven years’ experience in fire safety
- NC Level II Firefighter
- NC Level II Fire Instructor
- NC Level II Fire Officer
- NC Level III Fire and Life Safety Educator
- Hazardous Materials Technician
- Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200, 300, 400
Fire Safety Specialist: Currently recruiting for this position due to a retirement.
Life Safety Technicians
Life safety technicians are necessary to test and maintain fire safety systems. They oversee the operability of active fire safety systems, such as sprinklers, hydrants, and smoke and heat detectors and alarms, as well as operability and integrity of passive building fire safety systems, such as fire barriers, fire doors, fire dampers, and the design and operability of the site water distribution system.
UNC-Chapel Hill employs a staff of sixteen Life Safety Technicians dedicated to maintaining the fire alarm and fire protection systems on campus. They are on call 24/7 to respond to any concern about fire protection devices. All Life Safety Technicians are appropriately certified by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies for fire alarm systems and by the State of North Carolina for inspection and maintenance of water-based fire suppression systems.
Chapel Hill Fire Department
The Chapel Hill Fire Department (CHFD) provides fire protection, basic rescue, and first responder medical services to the Town of Chapel Hill and to UNC-Chapel Hill 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The CHFD operates from five fire stations located strategically across the community and is staffed by 100 employees.
All Chapel Hill firefighters and fire officers are certified to at least North Carolina Level II Firefighters. The department is also a partner in the Triangle Region 8 Urban Search and Rescue Team with fire departments from Durham and Raleigh. These heavy rescue-type teams are especially trained and equipped for major disasters. The CHFD also operates a fire training center adjacent to Fire Station #4.