Fire Prevention in
Schools
Mandated by: The Rules and
Regulations of NY State; NYS
Education Department; Fire
Prevention Codes; and the
National Fire Prevention
Association Standards.
 Never place combustible
decorations or artwork within
10 feet of an exit.
 Never use candles
Combustible Materials
 Any material that can ignite
and burn.
 Most common combustible
materials include: fabrics;
paper; wood; plastics.
 Flame Resistant – materials
which resist ignition and the
spread of flames either
because of inherent
properties or chemical
treatment.
Decorations and Artwork
 Never hang anything from
ceilings in corridors.
 Never decorate fire doors or
exit doors. Do not decorate
classroom doors – these are
fire doors. Only required
signage is allowed on doors.
 Decorations that are
combustible, such as banners,
curtains, and other materials,
MUST be made flame resistant.
Treatments of banners, wall
hangings, draperies, etc is not
permanent and is affected by
laundering.
 Never decorate more than 20%
of corridor wall space and no
more than 30% of walls in
classrooms.
o Art work hanging from
ceilings in classrooms is
part of the 30%.
o Never hang art work
from the lights; detectors;
sprinkler heads; pipes; or
any other part of the
emergency systems.
o Maintain a minimum of
18 inches clearance from
the ceiling (this includes
all combustibles including
artwork and stored items)
General Safety
 EGRESS -Never place
furniture or other items in the
exit path. Maintain the
corridor at full width. You
must be able to leave safely and
emergency response personnel
must be able to enter safely
with any necessary equipment.
 DOORS - Never wedge open
fire doors. These doors are
designed to protect the exit
path. Chocks and wedges will
be removed and discarded.
As you leave the building in an
emergency evacuation, CLOSE
your door but do not lock it. This
will help prevent damage to your
room and slow the spread of any
smoke and fire.
 EVACUATION - leave
quickly. Follow more detailed
directions as outlined in the
Safety Check Brochure
‘Emergency Evacuation
Procedures’.
 STORAGE - All stored items
must be kept neat and orderly
and not allowed to accumulate
in excessive amounts. Items
stored must be kept at least 2
feet from ceiling (or 18 inches
from sprinklered ceilings) and
at least 3 feet from any heat
source (such as heaters, light
fixtures, appliances, etc).
 FIRE PROTECTION - In
rooms where valves and
controls are housed do not
block those controls. Never
cover detectors or block
evacuation pull stations.
 EXTINGUISHERS – Never
block fire extinguishers or
obscure them from view. Use
only if you are trained. Use
only on small fires.
 ELECTRICAL SAFETY – Do
not use extension cords or
adapters except as approved by
EH&S.
STAY SAFE
SAFETY CHECK
Educational and Child
Care Occupancies
Campus Emergency Phone
Numbers (from a campus
phone)
Fire………………………………911
Police……………………………911
Ambulance……………………..911
From a non-campus phone call
777-2393
Binghamton University
Environmental Health and Safety
PO Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902
Phone (607) 777-2211
Fax (607) 777-4444
S:\Brochures\SafetyFlyers\educational and child care2015.doc
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY