Fire Safety Responsibility
The Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) department 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 North Carolina Building and Fire Codes, investigating fire incidents, developing evacuation procedures, fire safety public education, and maintaining fire alarm and extinguishing systems.
Fire Safety Staff
The Fire Safety section is staffed by four FTE’s. Information about the positions and their expertise and background is provided below.
University Fire Marshal, Fire Safety and Emergency Response Manager
- Twelve years’ experience in fire safety
- Bachelor’s degree in Fire Safety Engineering Technology
- Hazardous Materials Technician
- Emergency Responder
- Incident Command System (ICS) trainings: 100, 200, 300, 400
- American Red Cross CPR and First Aid Instructor
- Fire and Life Safety Educator, Level II
- Technical Rescuer Confined Space
Fire Safety Professional
- Eighteen years’ experience in fire safety
- Firefighter Level I/II
- Rapid Intervention Team
- Driver/Operator Pumps/Aerials
- Hazmat Operations Level I
- Rescue Technician VMR
- Technical Rescuer Confined Space & Water Rescue
- North Carolina Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
- American Red Cross CPR & First Aid Instructor
- Fire & Life Safety Educator I
- National Incident Management System trainings: 100, 200, 300, 363, 400, 700, & 800
- National Fire Academy Leadership I, II & III
- National Fire Academy Incident Safety Officer
- Community Preparedness, Disaster Management Certificate
Fire Safety Professional
- Three years’ experience in fire safety
- Bachelor’s degree in Fire and Safety Engineering Technology
- National Incident management System trainings: 100, 200, 363, 700, 703, 800
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, 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 sprinkler systems and licensed 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, some technical rescue, and provides care at the Emergency Medical Technician level for 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 around 100 employees.
All Chapel Hill firefighters and fire officers are certified to at least North Carolina Level II Firefighters. All Chapel Hill Fire Department personnel are certified for the roles they hold in the organization through training developed and supported by the NC Office of State Fire Marshal. 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 specially trained and equipped for response to major disasters. The CHFD also operates a fire training center adjacent to Fire Station #4 (101 Weaver Dairy Rd. Ext.) and shares an Orange County Training Center (Eubanks Road).