Fire Safety Report

The George Washington University publishes this fire safety report as part of its annual Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act Compliance. This report contains information regarding the fire safety practices and standards for GW, including statistics concerning the number of fires, the cause of each fire, the number of injuries and deaths related to a fire, and the value of the property damage caused by a fire. This report is available for review on the GW Safety website at safety.gwu.edu/reports-and-records. A copy may be obtained by making a request to GWPD at (202) 994-6110.

Fire Safety

A daily fire log is available for review 24 hours a day on the GWPD website or in person at 2145 G Street, NW, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The fire log includes information about fires that occur in residential facilities, including the nature, date, time, and general location. A fire is defined as any instance of open flame or other burning in a place not intended to contain the burning or in an uncontrolled manner.

If a fire occurs in a GW building, community members should immediately notify GW Emergency Services at (202) 994-6111 or 911. When calling, please provide as much information as possible about the location, date, time and cause of the fire. GW will initiate a response, as the department has a direct dial phone line to the DC Office of Unified Communications and can contact the fire department quickly through this communication link. Additionally, GWPD is the agency responsible for documenting past fires. Accordingly, if a member of the GW community finds evidence of a fire that has been extinguished, and the person is not sure whether GW has already responded, the community member should immediately notify GW Emergency Services to investigate and document the incident.

The university takes fire safety seriously and has established fire safety programs for students living in on-campus residence halls. Specific evacuation plans have been developed for each residence hall and copies of these plans can be found on the inside of the door of each room. If your room does not have a plan on the back of your door, contact Environmental Health and Safety at safetygwu [dot] edu for assistance in obtaining a copy.

Students residing in on-campus residence halls participate in four drills where they practice evacuation. The drills are conducted once within the first 10 days of the start of the school year, one before the sun rises, one after the sun sets, and one determined by the fire marshal. Before the first round of evacuation drills, Campus Living and Residential Education (CLRE) sends an email that covers each building's rally point, chronological procedures for evacuating, a link to the University's Fire Safety Plan, and contact information for further questions or concerns. Continuing education is provided by CLRE staff in their regular communications/meetings and residence hall video boards. Additionally, during each drill, the building's residents receive a GW Alert that instructs them to proceed to their designated rally point, with the building's specific rally point (Kogan Plaza, Potomac Square, etc) included in the alert. All students also complete a General Safety training via Blackboard, which covers each of the University's protective actions, including "Evacuate". This training is maintained by the Office of Emergency Management. In the event of a fire, students should contact GW Emergency Services by calling (202) 994-6411 or call 911, and follow the fire evacuation plan. The university also has specific fire safety programs for students, faculty, employees, and contractors working on campus, such as hot work training, general fire safety training, and fire extinguisher training. Trainings are available at safety.gwu.edu/training and fire safety training is provided upon request to Safetygwu [dot] edu.

In the Event of a Fire

Fire alarms alert community members of potential hazards, and community members are required to heed their warning and evacuate buildings immediately upon hearing a fire alarm in a facility. Individuals who fail to evacuate a building promptly are subject to a disciplinary referral for a violation of a University Policy. Follow the following procedures in the event of a fire:

• Pull the fire alarm
• Leave the building immediately using the closest emergency exit
• Close doors behind you
• Call GW Emergency Services (202-994-6111) or 911 when safe to do so
• Assemble at your designated rally point
• Re-enter the building only when instructed by officials

 

Fire Safety

The university continues to assess and upgrade fire safety equipment as an ongoing process to ensure that all equipment meets National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. Future improvements will be made as needed as part of the ongoing assessment process.

There are currently no improvements planned that address deficiencies with life safety/fire protection systems, as there are no such deficiencies currently identified. When fire protection systems are upgraded or replaced during construction or renovation projects, they are evaluated by the Fire Marshal for compliance with NFPA standards.

Fire Safety Tips

• If you are cooking, never leave your stove or oven unattended
• Do not assume an alarm is a drill
• Know at least two different ways out of your residence hall or building
• In case of fire, use stairs, do not use elevators; if you are unable to use the stairs, call GW Emergency Services for help
• If unable to exit the building, go to the nearest safe area free of smoke and fire and call GW Emergency Services or 911 to report your location
• If it is safe to do so, use a fire extinguisher if the fire is small and contained, and room is not filled with smoke

 

Residence Hall Fire Safety

The following is a list of items prohibited in the residence halls and are a violation of university policy. The prohibited items list is subject to revision by the university as needed.

 

• Candles, incense, and fragrance burners
• Non-surge protected extension cords
• Halogen lamps (all desk and floor lamps)
• Lanterns/oil lamps and flammable liquids
• Lighter fluid liquids (Naphtha) (no more than 4 ounces)
• Microwaves or refrigerators (unless supplied by GW Facilities Services)
• Space heaters (unless supplied by GW)
• Live holiday decorations (holiday trees, garlands, etc.)
• Fireworks
• Hoverboards (self-balancing scooters, battery-operated scooters, hands- free segways)
• Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), commonly known as a drone
• All cooking items in rooms without a kitchen: hot plates, crock pots, waffle irons, toasters, toaster ovens, George Foreman grills, sandwich makers, popcorn poppers, etc.
• Weapons: pocket knives; knives in a sheath; spears; swords; souvenir weapons; firearms; ammunition; BB, air pellet, or paintball guns; taser or stun guns; expandable batons or impact weapons; and 3D printers capable of producing any of the prohibited items
• Chemical mace and/or pepper spray (no more than 0.5 ounces)
• Alcohol (if underage)
• Illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, or drug manufacturing materials
• Hazardous materials (not including household cleaners)

 

Fire Safety Systems in Residential Facilities

A majority of university buildings are equipped with automatic fire detection and alarm systems that are constantly monitored by staff at GWPD. Fire drills are conducted four times per year in all residence halls on the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses. All fire drills are unannounced to residential students. The Fire Safety Systems in Residential Facilities charts display information about fire detection, notification, and suppression systems, and the number of fire drills in each residential facility. Buildings are equipped with a variety of features that are designed to detect, stop and/or suppress a fire. A door can be the first line of defense against the spread of smoke or fire from one area to another. Some doors, such as fire doors in corridors or stairwells of residence halls, are designed to stand up to fire longer than those in an individual room. To work, these doors must stay closed. Additionally, if a door has a device that automatically closes the door, it should NOT be propped open.

Sprinklers are 98% effective in preventing the spread of fire when operating properly. DO NOT obstruct the sprinkler heads with materials like clothing hanging from the piping. Smoke alarms cannot do their job if they are disabled or covered by the occupant, which is a violation of the fire code and university policy. The George Washington University campuses are smoke-free, both indoors and outdoors, per Housing contracts within the residence halls and University Policy, which governs all GW property.

Fire Safety Systems in Foggy Bottom Residence Halls

Foggy Bottom Residential Facility	Address	Partial Sprinkler System1	Full Sprinkler System2	Smoke Alarms	Fire Extinguisher Devices	Evacuation Plans/Placards	Number of Evacuation/Fire Drills each calendar year
BUILDING JJ	2031 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
DAKOTA	2100 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
DISTRICT HOUSE	2121 H Street		X	X	X	X	4
FSK	600 20th Street		X	X	X	X	4
FULBRIGHT	2223 H Street		X	X	X	X	4
GUTHRIDGE	2115 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
INTERNATIONAL	2201 Virginia Ave		X	X	X	X	4
MARK / SHENKMAN HALL	616 23rd Street		X	X	X	X	4
JBKO	2222 Eye Street		X	X	X	X	4
LAFAYETTE	2100 Eye Street		X	X	X	X	4
MADISON	736 22nd Street		X	X	X	X	4
MITCHELL	514 19th Street		X	X	X	X	4
MUNSON	2212 Eye Street		X	X	X	X	4
PHILIP / AMSTERDAM	2350 H Street		X	X	X	X	4
POTOMAC HOUSE	2021 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
SOUTH HALL	2135 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
STRONG	620 21 Street		X	X	X	X	4
THURSTON	1900 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
TOWNHOUSE ROW	607 23rd Street		X	X	X	X	4
1959 E STREET	1959 E Street		X	X	X	X	4
2109 F STREET	2109 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
2121 F STREET	2121 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
2123 F STREET	2123 F Street		X	X	X	X	4
2144 F STREET	2144 F Street			X	X	X	4
2206 F STREET	2206 F Street			X	X	X	4
2208 F STREET	2208 F Street			X	X	X	4
605 21ST STREET	605 21st Street			X	X	X	0
603 22ND STREET	603 22nd Street			X	X	X	0
605 22ND STREET	605 22nd Street			X	X	X	0
607 22ND STREET	607 22nd Street			X	X	X	0
611 22ND STREET	611 22nd Street			X	X	X	0

Fire Safety Systems in Mount Vernon Residence Halls

Mount Vernon Residential Facility	Address	Partial Sprinkler System1	Full Sprinkler System2	Smoke Alarms	Fire Extinguisher Devices	Evacuation Plans/Placards	Number of Evacuation/Fire Drills each calendar year
CLARK HALL	2100 Foxhall Road		X	X	X	X	4
COLE HALL	2100 Foxhall Road		X	X	X	X	4
HENSLEY HALL	2100 Foxhall Road		X	X	X	X	4
MERRIWEATHER	2100 Foxhall Road		X	X	X	X	4
WEST HALL	2100 Foxhall Road		X	X	X	X	4
SOMERS HALL	2100 Foxhall Road		X	X	X	X	4

Footnotes:

1. Partial Sprinkler System is defined as having sprinklers in the common areas only.
2. Full Sprinkler System is defined as having sprinklers in both the common areas and individual rooms.
3. Partial Sprinkler System in parking garage only.

Fire Statistics

Fire Log Incident Details

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