N.Y. Education Law § 807-b: College fire inspections

§ 807-b. College fire inspections. 1. It shall be the duty of the

college authorities in general charge of the operation of any public or

independent college to cause the buildings under the jurisdiction of

such college containing classroom, dormitory, fraternities, sororities,

laboratory, physical education, dining or recreational facilities for

student use to be inspected at least annually for fire hazards which

might endanger the lives of students, teachers and employees therein.

Inspections of all public and independent college buildings, with the

exception of those within a city having a population of one million or

more, shall be conducted by the state office of fire prevention and

control or a designee of the state fire administrator. An inspection

report shall be produced by the inspecting agency for each building

inspected.

2. The annual fire inspection for public and independent colleges

shall be made when the college is in session.

3. The office of fire prevention and control is authorized to adopt

rules and regulations establishing minimum standards for the content and

frequency of such inspections in order to ensure compliance with

applicable fire safety standards. In the event violations of applicable

codes, rules and regulations pertaining to fire safety are found during

inspections, the office of fire prevention and control is authorized to

take appropriate actions to ensure that violations are promptly

remedied.

4. The state fire administrator shall prescribe the format of the fire

inspection report. In prescribing such format the state fire

administrator shall consider standards for fire safety set forth in the

uniform fire prevention and building code and other applicable fire

safety standards.

5. Within ninety days of completing such inspection, the office of

fire prevention and control or its designee shall file a copy of the

report with the office of the college authorities and with the

commissioner. All such reports so filed shall be kept as records for at

least three years after which period they may be destroyed. A copy of

such report shall also be filed with the chief, or other comparable

officer, of any fire department or fire corporation which has the

regular duty of fighting fire in the building inspected.

6. The office of fire prevention and control or its designee shall

make recommendations to the college authorities with respect to any

problems relating to building fire safety noted in such reports. The

commissioner may inspect or cause to be inspected at any reasonable time

for fire prevention and fire protection purposes the buildings required

to be inspected by this section. The commissioner may impose a fine of

up to five hundred dollars per day upon any public or independent

college which fails to remedy, to the satisfaction of the office of fire

prevention and control, any violation noted in a report within thirty

days of receiving a copy of such report.

7. Every public or independent college building required to be

inspected by the office of fire prevention and control or its designee

may also be examined for fire protection purposes at any reasonable time

by

a. the chief of the fire department of the city, town, village or fire

district in which the college building is located,

b. the chief of a fire corporation having its headquarters outside a

village or fire district, if the college building is located in the area

described in the certificate of incorporation of such company,

c. the chief of the fire department or fire company affording fire

protection to a fire district, fire protection district, or fire alarm

district pursuant to a contract, if the college building is located in

any such district,

d. the member of any fire department or fire company listed in

paragraphs a, b or c of this subdivision assigned by the chief.

8. Any person, or any public or other corporation for which any such

persons acts, shall not be liable for any error, omission or lack of

thoroughness in the making of the inspection and report required or

permitted by this section.

9. The term "college authorities", as used in this section, means the

board of trustees, board of directors, or other governing board in

general charge of the operation of any such college.

10. The term "public college" shall mean and include "state-operated

institutions", "statutory or contract colleges" and "community colleges"

as defined in section three hundred fifty of this chapter.

11. The term "independent college" shall mean colleges other than

those included within subdivision ten of this section.