Fort Hays State University does not maintain an autonomous fire department and is reliant upon the City of Hays Fire Department to provide those services as outlined within the annexation agreement between FHSU and the City of Hays. The Agreement, in Section 2, page 5 states: “The City shall provide fire protection to the University free of charge consistent with and as provided to other entities within the City. The University shall maintain its active efforts to prevent false alarms.”

Code Compliance: The University is subject to inspection and standards established by the Fire Marshal of the State of Kansas for code compliance. Typically, the City of Hays does not perform fire inspections of the University unless requested by the State Fire Marshal or in response to a verifiable complaint regarding a fire hazard or code violation. Additionally, as prescribed by K.S.A. 75-1250 et. seq., the University will continue to adhere to the standards prescribed by the State of Kansas Department of Administration’s Division of Architectural Services.

All academic and residential life buildings, within the defined boundaries of Fort Hays State University, are actively monitored with interactive fire alarm systems, which
reports directly to a 24-hour monitoring service, which in turn, notifies the Hays Law Enforcement Dispatch Center. This excludes areas within the agricultural and/or farm areas.

Various fire suppression systems, commonly referred to as fire sprinklers, are utilized as required by statute/code and enforced by the Fire Marshal.