Safety Tip: Fire drills

NMSU’s Fire Department conducts fire drills throughout the year at unannounced times. These drills are very important to help students, faculty, staff and visitors learn what to do and how to behave in an emergency. The NMSU Fire Department is thoughtful when planning these drills, but please know that at times you may be inconvenienced. Fires seldom occur at convenient times. Here are some steps to follow:

1. Stop whatever you are doing and calmly proceed to the nearest exit.
2. Do not run or panic. Panic may cause injuries.
3. Do not gather personal belongings or keepsakes. Take your keys, cellphone and get out.
4. Meet outside in a pre-designated location and try to account for everyone. If anyone is missing or thought to be inside, let firefighters know when they arrive.
5. Close the door(s) on the way out. This will prevent the spread of smoke and fire.
6. If for some reason you cannot exit, call 911 and provide the dispatcher with the type of emergency and your physical location. 
7. Do not re-enter a building even if the alarm is no longer active. Emergency personnel may silence the alarm while they investigate. Only re-enter after the building is declared safe by the fire department.

False alarms: Don’t be complacent and assume an alarm is false. Universities have seen students, faculty or staff lose their lives because they didn’t evacuate when they had the chance. While many fire alarms may turn out to be false, no one can be sure of a false alarm until after the fire department responds.

Malicious alarms: Some less mature individuals find it amusing to activate fire alarms. Malicious false alarms cause the following:

1. Complacency among people who are annoyed and stop appropriately responding to alarms.
2. Emergency responders are taken away from, or delayed in responding to other emergency situations where they are needed.
3. People may sustain injuries while evacuating; other people succumb to medical conditions such as seizures when an alarm is triggered
4. Everyone is inconvenienced until the firefighters have determined the building is safe to occupy again.

NMSU’s Emergency Planning Committee encourages departments to update their Emergency Action Plan. Learn more about NMSU fire prevention and safety.