Fire Safety

The primary goal of the fire and life safety standards is for building occupants to avoid injury or death during a fire or other emergency. The Campus Building Evacuation Procedure has been prepared to ensure the orderly and complete evacuation of campus buildings in the event of an emergency and/or the activation of alarm system.

Reporting a fire

All fires, no matter how small are to be reported to Cal Poly University Police dispatch at 911 or 805-756-2281.  This accomplishes several things:

  • The Fire Department will respond to any emergent/active fire and extinguish
  • An incident log will be entered
  • The State Fire Marshall will be notified of the fire, a legal requirement

If you have extinguished the fire yourself, notify Cal Poly University Police dispatch at 805-756-2281 so that fire information is recorded and the State Fire Marshall is notified.

Fire Extinguisher Inspection, testing and Maintenance

Cal Poly has over 3,500 fire extinguishers on campus. Fire extinguishers require annual maintenance by a vendor and monthly checks by end users or EHS. The purpose of fire extinguisher inspection and maintenance is to increase the likelihood that the fire extinguisher will work properly during a fire. Per the Cal Poly Fire Protection Inspection, testing and Maintenance Program, fire extinguisher monthly inspections are completed by department staff in each department or college owned spaces. Inspection of unassigned spaces such as hallways and mechanical spaces are completed by EHS. EHS contracts with a thrid party vendor to conduct annual maintenance of all extinguishers on campus. If you find an extinguisher with an out-of-date annual, contact Mike Landvogt at 805-756-6628 or EHS 805-756-5555.

The Environmental Health and Safety Department:

  • Stocks fire extinguishers for service needs between annual inspections
  • Complete campus-wide testing of fire alarms and fire sprinkler systems
  • Testing of all fire doors
  • Annual fire drills
  • Complete fire safety inspections of each building to meet Title 19 compliance requirements

  • Dormatory Fire Safety

    What You Need to Know

    WHEN THE FIRE ALARM SOUNDS, GET OUT OF THE BUILDING QUICKLY AND STAY OUT!

    • Never remove batteries or otherwise disable any smoke alarm
    • Learn your building's evacuation plan and practice all drills as if they were the real thing
    • Have a fire escape plan with two ways out of every room
    • Stay alert and in the area while cooking food, even when using microwaves
    • Hot plates and microwaves are not permitted in individual dorm rooms

    For more information, contact Mike Landvogt, Fire and Life Safety Specialist at 805-756-6628 or email mlandvog@calpoly.edu.