Changes in operations, training and education -- such as this Fire Safety Month activity where firefighters battled a mock blaze on Oct. 1 -- have led to a large reduction in fire calls impacting local agencies, SUNY Oswego officials reported, with an 88.5 reduction in incidents requiring the activation of community first responders from the previous year between August and October.
SUNY Oswego’s new fire safety protocols have resulted in an 88.5 percent reduction of responses by outside first responders for the most recent quarter, the university announced.
University officials and representatives of the Town of Oswego engaged in conversations starting last year due to the number of alarms on campus that resulted in responses by the town’s volunteer fire department and first responders. As a result, SUNY Oswego President Peter O. Nwosu announced a number of updates to protocol, training and awareness in July 2024 that led to the changes.
The numbers tell the story: From Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, 2023, outside first responders came to 87 calls, while in 2024, during those same months, only 10 incidents warranted first-responder attention – an 88.5 percent drop resulting in less burden on community responders.
Due to education and student collaboration, total alarms during those periods saw a 21 percent reduction, down from 87 to 69.
“We greatly appreciate how the campus stepped up together to address the important issue of fire safety and the impact it was having on our neighbors,” President Nwosu said. “The data to date shows that through planning, education and cooperation, we can make a difference.”
The action plan announced in July related to three areas of emphasis: modified internal response to fire alarms; enhanced student education and awareness, including required training for students and ongoing social media educational campaigns; and escalating sanctions for repeat offenses, including deferred suspension for tampering with safety equipment or failing to evacuate during alarms, coupled with educational sanctions.
“I am very pleased that all parties were able to come together in a spirit of collegiality to find a solution that will keep both our campus community and our neighbors safe,” President Nwosu said in his July email announcing the new protocols.
To enhance efficiency, University Police took a more active role in responding to a single fire alarm activation on campus. This means if a single alarm activates, for example, an initial campus-based action would mean that outside responders would not need to come. It takes the activation of multiple alarms, or University Police actions, for fire response partners to now respond via a 911 dispatch. Testing and training of these systems and employees were conducted over the summer to ensure its effectiveness, President Nwosu said.
President Nwosu also established a dedicated University Fire Safety Task Force to oversee the implementation and ongoing review of these measures. This task force –- co-chaired by senior leaders from Residence Life and Housing, Facilities Services, and University Police –- focuses on student education, staff training and risk reduction for the entire campus.
Regular and unannounced inspections are conducted collaboratively by Residence Life and Housing, Environmental Health and Safety, and the Office of Fire Prevention and Control to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations. This emphasis resulted in reductions in the most serious infractions, including covered smoke detectors, failure to evacuate, smoking and use of candles.
“I would like to thank Victoria L. Furlong, Vice President for Administration and Finance; Scott Swayze, University police chief; and Kathleen G. Kerr, Vice President for Student Affairs; and their teams for their leadership in this vital initiative,” President Nwosu noted in establishing the new protocols. “I also would like to thank representatives from the city and town fire departments who met with us to refine our protocols. We also owe a debt of thanks to Town Supervisor Dan Gurney and our SUNY system Senior Counsel Peter Harrington for their guidance.”
But President Nwosu noted that this data represented only a beginning, with continued efforts and vigilance required to keep reducing both alarms and calls to outside agencies.
“Our commitment is to maintain a safe living and learning environment for everyone on campus,” President Nwosu said. “It truly takes a village and the contributions of everybody. I thank the campus and community for their continued cooperation and diligence.”