Mandatory fire safety drills on the Geneseo campus

Students on the SUNY Geneseo campus may have noticed the recent commencement of the annual fire safety drills. Fire drills are mandated throughout the state of New York to ensure the safety of the building’s occupants.

Section 807 of Article 17 of the New York State Legislature outlines the requirements for state institutions when it comes to fire drills. According to the New York State Senate universities in New York State must conduct at least three fire safety drills annually. One of these drills must occur between Sept. 1 and Dec. 1 of each year.

This general ruling includes fire safety drills in academic buildings such as Fraser Hall, Bailey Hall, and South Hall. Many academic buildings on the Geneseo campus had their annual drill on Friday, Sept. 22.

The Senate goes on to state that “at least one additional drill shall be held in each year during the hours after sunset and before sunrise in college or university buildings in which students are provided with sleeping accommodations.”

While these late-night drills seem to be a nuisance, they are implemented to ensure students know how to exit the buildings in an efficient, safe, and orderly manner. Looking back at Section 807, the New York Law states that “it shall be the duty of the person in charge of every public or private college or university within the state, to instruct and train the students by means of drills, so that they may in a sudden emergency be able to leave the college or university building in the shortest possible time and without confusion or panic.”

Fire safety training is not taken lightly by Geneseo’s administration. Each year, students living on campus must complete the “Be Fire Smart! College Edition.” This training is an interactive 30-minute lesson on the unique aspects of fire safety and prevention on a college campus. This fire safety training is provided to students free of charge and can be accessed through the Geneseo Prevent Zone website: http://geneseo.prevent.zone/

In an email from the Dean of Students Leonard Sancilio on Sept. 12, 2023, Sancilio stated that “fire safety knowledge and training is a critical element for all students living in the residence halls.” He also goes on to speak about how fire safety is a shared responsibility implying that students should not just complete the training for themselves, but for their peers.

During a more recent drill, it was noted by some students that there seemed to be a lack of response to the drill almost as if people had become desensitized to them. According to senior communications major David Potter, “people don’t take fire drills seriously on campus as we have been doing them forever.” 

This lack of responsiveness reinforces the idea that students need to partake in this safety training and treat each drill as if it was an emergency.

For more information on fire safety and prevention on the Geneseo campus, check out Geneseo’s Environmental Health and Safety Department website. http://geneseo.edu/ehs