Beginning the week of March 1 – 5, the College will undergo a required fire inspection, where a New York State fire inspector examines our campus to ensure compliance with the state Fire Code and Property Maintenance Code. This mandatory inspection will be as unobtrusive as possible, but will require inspectors to come through all buildings and most offices.
The inspection process will begin with a “Preliminary Inspection,” during which the inspector will be looking under desks, in closets, and generally throughout the campus to ensure that we meet (and hopefully exceed) all requirements of the applicable International and State Codes. Any instances of non-compliance will result in “violations” being assigned to the College. These items must then be abated within a certain time frame, as established by New York State Law.
The inspector will be following campus COVID-19 guidelines and will wear proper PPE throughout the inspection process. All buildings will be inspected visually with minimal contact to office content. Any non-compliant item found will be written up by the inspector and left in place for office personnel to handle. Anything that happens to be touched will be cleaned before the inspector moves onto the next office space.
Upon the “First Re-inspection,” (which is anticipated to occur in early April) violations that have not yet been corrected will result in an “Order to Comply,” and a penalty process begins that will result in fines being levied against the College if not corrected. Those fines, depending on the severity of the individual violation, range anywhere from $50 to $500 per day for every day that the violation existed.
While our goal at New Paltz is 100% compliance, we do understand that there will be instances where an oversight, mistake, or normal wear and tear leads to a violation. We hope that through a concerted effort we can minimize the likelihood of this happening by working together to identify and report these issues.
Any issues that need attention by Facilities Operations can be reported using the Facilities work order system or by calling FOC at (845)257-3301. Important safety concerns can be reported directly to the Office of Emergency Management by emailing: emergencymanagement@newpaltz.edu.
Below are a few examples of our most common violations. If you find that these violations exist, we ask that you correct them immediately.
Please note: Items relating to Facilities Operations and Maintenance, (like missing outlet covers, stairwell or hallway doors that do not close and latch automatically, broken exit signs, etc.) simply require a Facilities work request be submitted and FOC will work diligently to correct them.
ALL extension cords are prohibited:
Instead, use a power strip with a “RESET” switch (the word “RESET” must appear on the switch in order for it to be compliant):
Inter-connected power strips are prohibited:
Instead, connect each power strip DIRECTLY into an outlet:
All multi-plug adapters are prohibited:
Stairwell doors, lounge doors, kitchenette doors, break room doors, and other common space Fire Doors can never be propped open. Office doors can only be propped open using a rubber door chock when the room is actually then occupied.
I hope that this helps you all to better understand the inspection process and what to look out for. As always, if you have any questions at all regarding fire safety please do not hesitate to contact our office at emergencymanagement@newpaltz.edu.
