New York Laws
Article 17 - Instruction in Certain Subjects
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.