Fire Prevention Procedures

1. Purpose

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”)'s Fire Prevention Plan regulations, found at 29 CFR 1926.24 and subpart F do not specifically require a written plan, but do require specific program elements. These procedures address fire emergencies reasonably anticipated to occur through all phases of the construction, repair, alteration, or demolition at our construction sites.

These fire prevention procedures (“FPP”) is in place at Brigham Young University–Hawaii (“BYU–Hawaii” or “university”) to control and reduce the possibility of fire and to specify the type of equipment to use in case of fire. These procedures address the following issues:

Major workplace fire hazards and proper handling and storage procedures for hazardous materials.
Potential ignition sources and their control. The type of fire protection equipment necessary to control each major hazard.
Procedures to control accumulations of flammable and combustible waste materials.
Procedures for regular maintenance of safeguards installed on heat-producing equipment to prevent the accidental ignition of combustible materials.
The name of job title of employees responsible for maintaining equipment to prevent or control sources of ignition or fires.
The name of job title of employees responsible for the control of fuel source hazards.

Under this plan, our employees will be informed of the plan's purpose, preferred means of reporting fires and other emergencies, types of evacuations to be used in various emergency situations, and the alarm system. The plan is closely tied to our Emergency Action Plan (“EAP”) where procedures are described for emergency evacuation procedures and exit route assignments, procedures to account for all employees after emergency evacuation has been completed, and rescue and medical duties for those employees who perform them. Please see the Emergency Action Plan for this information.

The safety officer, acting as the representative for the president of BYU–Hawaii, who has overall responsibility for the plan. The written plan is kept in the offices of Campus Safety and should be accessible online. The safety officer will review and update the plan as necessary. Copies of this plan may be obtained from the offices of Campus Safety, Campus Security, or Facilities Management.

The Fire Protection Plan communicates to employees, policies and procedures to follow when fires erupt. This written plan is available, upon request, to employees, their designated representatives, and any OSHA officials who ask to see it.

If after reading this plan, you find that improvements can be made, please contact the safety officer. We encourage all suggestions because we are committed to the success of our fire prevention procedures. We strive for clear understanding, safe behavior, and involvement in the plan from every level of the company.

2. Safety Officer Responsibilities

Here at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, the safety officer is responsible for the following activities, he or she must:

Develop a written fire prevention procedures for regular and after-hours work conditions.
Immediately notify the Kahuku Fire Dept, fire or Honolulu Police, Campus Security, and the President’s Council in the event of a fire affecting the facility.
Integrate the FPP with the existing general emergency plan covering the building occupied.
Distribute procedures for reporting a fire, the location of fire exits, and exit routes to each employee.
Conduct drills to acquaint the employees with fire procedures, and to judge their effectiveness.
Satisfy all local fire codes and regulations as specified.
Train designated employees in the use of fire extinguishers and the application of medical first-aid techniques.
Keep key management personnel home telephone numbers in a safe place in the facility for immediate use in the event of a fire. Distribute a copy of the list to key persons to be retained in their homes for use in communicating a fire occurring during non-work hours.
Decide to have employees and non-employees remain in or evacuate the facility in the event of a fire.
If evacuation is deemed necessary, the safety officer ensures that:
- All employees are notified and evacuated, and a head count is taken to confirm total evacuation of all employees.
- When practical, equipment is placed and locked in storage rooms or desks for protection.
- The building owner/superintendent is contacted, informed of the action taken, and asked to assist in coordinating security protection.
- In locations where the building owner/superintendent is not available, security measures to protect employee records and property are arranged as necessary.

In addition, the safety officer is responsible for duties unique to the BYU–Hawaii campus.

3. Fire Hazards

Fire can be represented by a simple equation:

Fire = ignition source + fuel + oxygen.

Without any one of these three elements, a fire cannot start. Likewise, during a fire, if you take away any one of these three elements, you can successfully put out a fire. It is our company's intent to prevent these three elements from reacting to produce a fire.

Fire prevention measures involving proper handling and storage of hazardous materials have been developed, including

control of potential ignition sources during open flame operations related to welding, torching, etc.

Fuel is used throughout the facility as an energy source for various systems or equipment. This fuel can be a significant fire hazard and must be monitored and controlled. The Facilities Management director is responsible for underground and above ground storage tanks of gas and propane.

3.1 Potential Ignition Sources

Flammable or combustible materials and other fuel sources may not ignite on their own without an external source of ignition. The following procedures are used to control known ignition sources at this company:

3.2 Fire Protection Equipment

Fire protection equipment is selected and purchased by Campus Safety.

With the exception of specific fire extinguishers for electrical equipment and areas, ABC fire extinguishers are located and may be used throughout the campus,

In addition, the following equipment is also present to control fires:

Standpipe and hose systems;
fixed fire suppression equipment, including automatic sprinkler systems and fixed extinguisher systems;
piranha fire suppression systems at the Seasider Snackbar and Banyan Dining Hall.

Fire protection equipment and systems are indicated on the building floor plans.

3.3 Maintenance of Equipment/Systems

It is our intent to assure the reliability of fire protection equipment and equipment and systems installed on heat-producing equipment to prevent the accidental ignition of combustible materials. The safety officer is responsible for maintaining equipment and systems installed to prevent or control sources of ignition or fires.

4. Maintaining Equipment & Systems:

BYU–Hawaii controls accumulations of flammable and combustible waste materials and residues so that they do not contribute to a fire. The following potential hazards at this campus may include:

mechanical rooms;
custodial rooms/closets;
attics;
various storage locations campus-wide.

5. Training

5.1 Fire Prevention Procedures

At the time of a fire, employees should know what type of evacuation is necessary and what their role is in carrying out the plan. In cases where the fire is large, total and immediate evacuation of all employees is necessary. In smaller fires, a partial evacuation of nonessential employees with a delayed evacuation of others may be necessary for continued operation. We must be sure that employees know what is expected of them during a fire to assure their safety.

Brigham Young University–Hawaii has chosen to train employees through presentation followed by a drill. We cover related FPP information at that time. Training, conducted on initial assignment, includes:

Fire hazards to which an employee is exposed
What to do if employee discovers a fire
Demonstration of alarm, if more than one type exists
How to recognize fire exits
Evacuation routes
Assisting employees with disabilities
Measures to contain fire (e.9., closing office doors, windows, etc, in immediate vicinity)
Head count procedures (see EAP for details)
Return to building after the "all-clear" signal
Those parts of the fire prevention procedures necessary for self-protection

If the safety officer has reason to believe an employee does not have the understanding required, the employee must be retrained.

Any employee who does not comply with this plan will be disciplined up to and including termination.

Our building houses several places of employment, so we have set up a building wide FPP including all employers in the building, Brigham Young University–Hawaii has informed its employees of their duties and responsibilities under the plan. Each employer in the facility has a copy of the standardized plan and it is accessible by affected employees.

Together we have coordinated the FPPs of all employees in the building to avoid confusion and conflicts during a fire.

5.2 Fire Protection Equipment

The safety officer provides training for each employee who is required to use fire protection equipment. Employees shall not use fire protection equipment without appropriate training. Training, before an individual is assigned responsibility to fight a fire, includes:

Types of fires
Types of fire prevention equipment
Location of fire prevention equipment
How to use fire prevention equipment
Limitations of fire prevention equipment
Proper care and maintenance of assigned fire prevention equipment and

Employees must demonstrate an understanding of the training and the ability to use the equipment properly before they are allowed to perform work requiring the use of the equipment.

If the safety officer has reason to believe an employee does not have the understanding or skill required, the employee must be retrained.