residential

If you are concerned about the well-being of any residential student or have reason to believe that a student might be missing, you should contact UCPD immediately. UCPD works closely with the Residential Student Service Programs (RSSP), International House, and the Berkeley Student Cooperative housing authorities and will begin its investigation immediately if a resident is suspected to be missing. Students living in any of these residential facilities may designate a contact person to be notified in case the student is determined to be missing.

Public Law 110-315 states that all Title IV eligible institutions participating in any Title IV program and that maintain on-campus student housing facilities must publish an Annual Fire Safety Report, maintain a fire log, and report fire statistics to the Secretary of Educa- tion. A printed copy can be obtained by contacting EH&S at (510) 642-5995 or can be downloaded at http://ehs.berkeley.edu/fp/328-fire-safety-reports.html

Links to Fire Safety Pages for Your Campus Residence

Take some time to go over the fire and life safety rules and guidelines for these kinds of residences at the following links:

Off-Campus

• http://ehs.berkeley.edu/fp/352-off-campus-housing-fire-prevention-and-life-safety.html

Residential Student Services Program (RSSP)

• http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/student/Bear_Necessities_Guide.pdf

Many fires start after a house party. If your house or dwelling unit hosts a party, take care to reduce the likelihood of a fire by following these guidelines:

• Assign one or two persons to monitor the event for safety. These monitors should stay sober during the event and be familiar with the building.
• Limit the number of guests, as overcrowding increases risk. A permit for your event is required from the Berkeley Fire Department if the occupant load exceeds 150.

Cooking is the leading cause of fire injuries on college campuses, followed by careless smoking and arson. Always use caution when around fire (including candles, grills, fireworks, or burning embers) and dispose of fire properly.

• Never leave cooking unattended.

• Never smoke in bed.

• Report all arson threats to
  the police.

Alcohol is implicated as a factor in about 50% of all fire fatalities. The number of fires in off-campus housing have overshadowed the number of all other campus-related fires in the United States.

Messy buildings are likely to have multiple fire hazards, so work with your neighbors to keep things in clean and orderly condition.

• Extension cords are fire hazards and should only be used temporarily. Use a power strip with circuit breaker protection if you must plug many devices into one outlet.

Follow these guidelines for how to live safely in your residence, whether it is privately owned, operated by the campus’ Residential Student Services Program (RSSP), or by any campus affiliate. If you live in an off-campus privately owned rental unit or apartment, do not assume your safety is anyone else’s chief concern. It is up to you to know how to escape a fire successfully and evaluate your home for basic fire safety.

The welfare of those students who reside in “on-campus student housing facilities”* is of utmost importance to UC Berkeley. UCPD works closely with RSSP, International House, and the Berkeley Student Cooperative (with regards to Cloyne Court, The Convent, Fenwick-Weavers, and Rochdale Village) to respond without delay should any of these housing authorities notify us that a residential student is missing.

While UCPD does not have primary responsibility for responding to most non-University properties (Noncampus), such as fraternities, sororities and some cooperative housing, UCPD does regularly collaborate with local law enforcement agencies to respond to crimes and incidents at these locations and to collate incident data for required statistical reporting under the Clery Act.

Fire safety is everyone’s responsibility and your preparation, awareness, and response to fire can save lives and valuable property. If you attend classes or work on campus, you must follow all fire safety regulations as set by the State, as well as all Campus fire safety rules.

The residence halls are locked 24 hours a day, with entry controlled by a mechanical and/or card key system. A UCPD Residential Security Sergeant supervises all security activity in UC residence halls, communicating on a daily basis with Residential Directors. CSOs (UCPD student employees) patrol the residence halls during the evening hours, while Residential Student Service Programs (RSSP) employs student residents both as Security Coordinators, who coordinate safety and security education events, and as Security Monitors, who observe and track access of residents and guests to the halls.