PROCEDURES FOR FILING FIRE SAFETY REPORTS 

The Public School Fire Safety Report form is used for two different purposes: 1) for the annual fire/safety inspection required by Education Law, Section 807a, and 2) for initial occupancy of new buildings and additions, and temporary quarters. It is important that the two processes are kept separate and distinct.

Every building owned, leased or operated by a school district or BOCES is inspected annually. The results of this annual inspection are reported to the Fire Safety Unit of Facilities Planning using a Public School Fire Safety Report form which annually is sent directly to the district. This "Annual" Fire Safety Report (Annual FSR) is specific to a single building and bears a preprinted label which identifies the building.

In circumstances involving the occupancy of a new building or addition, or a temporary facility, there is not a preprinted label; instead, each form is stamped either "Building Project" or "Temporary Facility", as appropriate, in the top right hand corner. An "Occupancy" Fire Safety Report (Occupancy FSR) for a new building or an addition is sent out at the time of Commissioner's Approval of the project. An Occupancy FSR for a leased, temporary facility is sent at the time of acknowledgement of receipt of the Letter of Intent. 

As stated, the annual fire safety inspection and the occupancy procedure for new buildings and additions, and temporary facilities are separate and distinct processes and must be treated as such. The forms identified above cannot be used interchangeably. If a district misplaces a form for the annual inspection, it must contact the Fire Safety Unit, in writing, and a replacement form for the specific building will be sent. Do not contact Facilities Planning for annual report forms. Likewise, if a form for the occupancy process is misplaced, contact Facilities Planning, in writing, and a replacement form for the specific facility will be sent. Do not contact the Fire Safety Unit for forms pertaining to the occupancy process. In any case, do not use a fire safety report form that you may have on hand;
request a new form as they are updated from time to time to reflect changes in law and must have the preprinted label which identifies the building or be stamped either "Building Project" or "Temporary Facility", as appropriate, and all the approval process signatures to be processed.

An Annual FSR applies to an entire existing building, exclusive of any addition which is under construction. The Annual FSR is to be forwarded to the Fire Safety Unit. An Occupancy FSR applies to any portion of a new building or addition which is proposed to be occupied, as well as the whole existing building. It is to be submitted to Facilities Planning immediately after the designing architect or engineer has executed a Certification of Substantial Completion (form FP-CSC) for the portion of the new building or addition proposed to be occupied. Subsequently occupied portions of new buildings or additions must be processed in the same way. 

If an Occupancy FSR for an addition is to be submitted within the same period of time as the Annual FSR, complete only the Occupancy FSR but complete the report for the whole existing building as well as that portion of the addition which is to be occupied. Staple the blank Annual FSR behind the Occupancy FSR and submit both to Facilities Planning.