Fire Prevention

As a public university, UC Santa Cruz falls under the authority of the California Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) for enforcement of the California Fire Code. The UC system maintains a memorandum of understanding with OSFM to allow UC personnel to serve as local campus fire marshals, deputy fire marshals, and fire inspectors.

Designated Campus Fire Marshal (DCFM) Program

The University of California falls under the authority of the California Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) for enforcement of the California Fire Code. The UC system maintains a memorandum of understanding with OSFM to allow UC personnel to serve as local campus fire marshals, deputy fire marshals, and fire inspectors. To be recognized as a DCFM, UC personnel must have completed several OSFM fire prevention courses as well as have documented experience in providing fire prevention services with a public entity.

The Lead Designated Campus Fire Marshal oversees the entire Fire and Life Safety Program for UC Santa Cruz. The Campus Fire Marshal oversees the Title 24 Plan Review and Construction Inspections Program including: fire protection consultation on campus projects, engineering design criteria for fire and life safety, code interpretations, and recommendations to Physical Planning & Construction staff on campus building construction and renovation activities.  The Campus Fire Marshal reviews and approves all construction plans and inspects buildings during construction/renovation, including acceptance tests for fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and other fire safety systems.

The Deputy Fire Marshal oversees the Title 19 Existing Facility Inspections Program, performing comprehensive fire code compliance inspections of all campus buildings on an annual basis and monitoring necessary follow-up activities. The Deputy Fire Marshal also assists with the Title 24 Program.

Both the Campus Fire Marshal and Deputy Fire Marshal also assist Campus Housing with conducting annual fire drills for campus residential facilities provide general guidance on the California Fire Code to the campus community.

In the event of a fire requiring a formal cause and origin or criminal investigation, the Campus Fire Marshal coordinates with sworn law enforcement investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the Calfornia Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), and the UC Police Department.

Resources

The following Fire Prevention resources are made available for any interested party:

• UCSC Campus Fire Protection Policy (EHS0020) [PDF]
• California Office of the State Fire Marshal
• National Fire Prevention Association
• Clery Act: Annual Campus Safety Reports
• FEMA Campus Fire Safety
• Center for Campus Fire Safety

Contact

For more information about fire prevention activities, or for assistance with specific issues, please contact:

Nick Otis
Lead Designated Campus Fire Marshal
UCSC Office of Emergency Services
(831) 459-3473
notis@ucsc.edu