Prepare ahead by doing the following:

• Always familiarize yourself with the fire safety features in a building, especially the locations of exits.  A link to evacuation maps are found in the Resources column of this webpage.
  
  
• Practice your exit route(s). Participate in fire drills held on campus.
  
  
• Make sure exits are not blocked.
  
  
• Do not chock or prop stairway or corridor doors open.
  
  
• In a fire, remember to close doors when you leave the room.
  
  
• Report nonfunctioning or damaged fire protection features, such as an automatic door closer to your building manager or Facility Services.

1. If you see smoke or fire, shout "fire" and activate the nearest fire alarm or pull station.
   
   
2. Leave the building following General Evacuation Procedures. Alert other occupants to evacuate. Use stairs, not elevators.
   
   
3. Before opening a door, touch the doorknob with the back of your hand to feel if it is warm or hot. If it is warm or hot, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR, USE ALTERNATE EXIT ROUTE.
   

   
   

   If you encounter smoke, stay low. Place a towel or cloth over your head and face. Breathe through the towel by taking short breaths through your nose.
   
   

   Wear something that can be easily discarded if it catches on fire such as a blanket. Should your clothes catch fire, stop, drop and roll to put it out.
   
   

   If the doorknob is not hot, ensure all room windows are closed, brace yourself against the door and open it slightly to check for presence of smoke or fire. If the hallway appears clear, exit building. If time permits, close windows and doors behind you. Follow the same procedure through all doors as you exit the building. If all exits are blocked, go to the closest safe room/area of rescue and follow the next instruction.
   
   

   If all paths are blocked by fire or heavy smoke and height of building floor does not allow for window exit, check outside window for presence of rescue crews and signal them by hanging an object out the window (e.g., sheet, jacket) or by other means. Keep doors closed between you and the fire. If possible, call 9-1-1 and inform dispatcher of your situation and exact location. Open windows only when necessary. Seal cracks around the door and at other places where smoke appears to be entering with wet towels, blankets, or similar materials.

   
   
4. From a safe location, at least 100 feet away from building, call 9-1-1. Provide them with the following information:
   • Your name
   • Building name
   • Address
   • Floor
   • Location
   • Note - ALL fires must be reported.
     
     
5. Upon exiting building, notify firefighters of source of fire or explosion or other pertinent information.
   
   
   
6. Do not reenter the building until authorized by the fire department.
   

Don't use a fire extinguisher unless you have first called 9-1-1. 

Portable fire extinguisher use allowed only if:

• User is properly trained.

• Fire is small, contained, and in early stage (e.g., small wastebasket, few rags, etc.).

LICENSED KITCHENS MUST REPORT ALL KITCHEN FIRES TO THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

Call Environmental Health and Safety to complete this process.

What is a fire drill?

A fire drill is a supervised practice of a mandatory evacuation of a building for a fire.

Can all campus buildings be tested at once?

No.

Can you tell me what time my building will have the drill?

Only if you are in the first building on the list to be tested. Fire drills are conducted starting at a certain time and go building by building from there. Each building takes an unknown amount of time to conduct the drill as it is dependent upon how quickly people evacuate, the size of the building, any issues encountered when running the drill, etc.

Why do we hold fire drills?

Per UW System Campus Fire Exit Drill Policy, "all educational buildings on campus must hold one fire drill per year ..." To ensure effective campus evacuations it is necessary to conduct fire drills while classes are in session.

What do I do when the fire alarm sounds?

1. Immediately evacuate building using nearest uninvolved exit. DO NOT USE ELEVATORS. Close doors and windows as you leave. Take your personal property.
   
   
2. Wheelchair users and people unable to exit via stairs should enter an enclosed stairwell and close the door. If possible, call 715-346-3456 to alert Police and Security of your location. If this were an actual fire, firefighters would check the stairwells of the building and evacuate you.
   
   
3. If you are teaching a class when the fire alarm sounds, instruct students to evacuate the building using the nearest fire exit. Remind students to take all personal property with them. Ensure all students in your class have evacuated before exiting.
   
   
4. Do not return to building until a police or security officer gives the all clear. Cessation of the fire alarm does not indicate an “All Clear."