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Fire and life safety services for education

PROTECTING THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE

Schools and universities hold more than students.
They hold the future.

Complete campus protection without disrupting the learning environment it exists to protect.

Protection first. Disruption last. Every day on campus.

Administrators, teachers, and parents trust that their students are protected — not just during the school day, but through activities, events, and every moment on campus. Fortis treats educational campuses with the same priority you do. We ensure systems work predictably, clearly, and without ambiguity. Our technicians understand the unique demands of campus spaces. We communicate openly. We schedule responsibly. We ensure students and staff are safe so your focus stays where it belongs — on learning, not risk. Fortis ensures students and staff can focus on learning — knowing protection is already in place.

Close-up of a red fire sprinkler head mounted on a ceiling pipe.

What fire and life safety requirements apply to schools and universities?

Educational facilities — from K-12 schools to university campuses — are governed by NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) and NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code), with additional requirements under NFPA 13 for sprinkler systems and NFPA 17A for kitchen suppression.

State education department regulations and local AHJ requirements add jurisdiction-specific layers that vary significantly across markets. Campus environments present unique fire and life safety challenges: diverse occupancy types (classrooms, labs, dormitories, athletic facilities, auditoriums) under a single compliance umbrella; multi-building notification requirements; and chemical storage in laboratory environments that requires specialized suppression solutions.

Annual fire drills, documented inspection programs, and coordinated emergency response planning are all standard compliance obligations.

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Who Manages Fire & Life Safety for Schools & Universities

Someone's Child Is in That Building. You Know That Better Than Anyone.

Campus fire and life safety responsibility spans facilities directors, safety officers, district administrators, and capital projects teams — each one accountable to the students, staff, and families who trust them.

Facilities & Operations Directors

Campus facilities directors manage fire and life safety compliance across complex, multi-building environments — often with aging infrastructure, mixed system vintages, and limited in-house fire protection expertise. Fortis provides the technical depth and inspection discipline that facilities teams need to maintain compliance without building specialized internal capability.

School Safety Officers & Emergency Management Coordinators

Safety officers are responsible for fire drill compliance, emergency response planning, and coordination with local fire departments and law enforcement. Fortis supports safety programs with documented inspection records, system reliability, and emergency response coordination.

University Plant Operations & Capital Projects Teams

Large university campuses manage fire and life safety as part of ongoing capital investment — renovations, new construction, and infrastructure modernization all require coordinated fire protection design and installation. Fortis provides engineering and installation services that integrate with campus master planning.

School District Administration

District-level administrators are accountable for fire and life safety compliance across multiple campuses — often with limited resources and competing capital priorities. Fortis provides consistent, documented compliance programs that satisfy state education department requirements across an entire district portfolio.

FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES for Schools & Universities

Every System a Campus Needs, Scheduled Around the Academic Calendar.

From campus-wide alarm loops and chemistry lab suppression to visitor management security and 24/7 emergency response — Fortis delivers complete campus protection without disrupting the learning environment it exists to protect.

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Fire Alarm Systems

Campus-wide addressable alarm systems with unified notification loops that provide instant, building-specific response across multi-building campuses. Voice evacuation with clear, intelligible messaging for diverse student populations. Integration with campus emergency notification systems for coordinated response. NFPA 72-compliant inspection and testing scheduled for academic breaks.

More about Fire Alarm Systems

Fire Sprinkler Systems

Sprinkler systems designed for the diverse occupancy types of educational facilities — standard wet pipe for classrooms and administrative areas, dry pipe for unheated spaces, and specialized configurations for chemical laboratory environments. Inspection programs that satisfy state education department and local fire marshal requirements.

More about Fire Sprinkler Systems

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Fire Suppression Systems

Clean agent and CO2 suppression for chemistry and science laboratories with flammable chemical storage. Wet chemical hood suppression for campus dining facilities. Specialized suppression for server rooms and data infrastructure supporting campus networks.

More about Fire Suppression Systems

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Security Systems

Visitor management and access control systems that secure campus entry points without creating the institutional atmosphere that undermines learning environments. Video surveillance for exterior perimeters, parking areas, and common spaces. Integration with campus emergency notification and lockdown systems for coordinated emergency response.

More about Security Systems

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24/7 Emergency Service

Around-the-clock emergency response for system failures and activations — because campus life doesn't stop after business hours, and a dormitory fire alarm panel failure at midnight carries the same urgency as one that occurs during the school day.

More about 24/7 Emergency Service

Code & Compliance for Schools & Universities

Every State Has Its Own Requirements. Every Campus Has Its Own Complexity. We Navigate Both

Educational facilities operate under NFPA 101, NFPA 72, state education department requirements, and laboratory safety standards — with compliance obligations that vary by occupancy type, building age, and local jurisdiction.

Close-up of a red fire sprinkler pipe with a brass sprinkler head attached to ceiling pipes.

NFPA 101

(Life Safety Code) establishes the primary requirements for means of egress, sprinkler systems, and fire alarm systems in educational occupancies — with specific provisions for day care facilities, K-12 schools, and higher education environments.

NFPA 72

governs fire alarm system design, inspection, and testing for all educational occupancies. Annual fire drills are required in most jurisdictions, and alarm systems must be capable of supporting coordinated drill and emergency response protocols.

State education department regulations

ary significantly and may include specific inspection frequency requirements, documentation standards, and reporting obligations to state fire marshals or education departments. Fortis maintains current knowledge of state-level requirements in every market we serve.

Laboratory safety standards

including NFPA 45 (Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals) govern fire protection requirements for chemistry, biology, and research laboratory environments on educational campuses — requiring specialized detection, suppression, and ventilation coordination.

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how it works

here to help, every step of the way

Campus Assessment

Fortis begins every campus engagement with a comprehensive life safety assessment — evaluating all buildings, identifying system condition and compliance gaps, and developing a prioritized remediation and ongoing maintenance plan that reflects the campus's specific occupancy mix and regulatory obligations.

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Academic-Year Scheduling

All inspection, testing, and maintenance activity is scheduled around the academic calendar — major system work during summer and winter breaks, routine inspections in coordination with building schedules. Fortis coordinates with campus operations teams to ensure zero classroom interference.

Technician in navy shirt inspecting and taking notes on an open red electrical control panel.

Multi-Building Coordination

Campus-wide fire alarm and notification systems require coordinated inspection and testing across multiple buildings — often with legacy systems of mixed vintages. Fortis manages the full campus inspection program as a unified service relationship, not a building-by-building patchwork.

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Emergency Response Planning Support

Fortis works with campus safety officers and emergency management coordinators to ensure fire and life safety system documentation supports emergency response planning, evacuation procedure development, and fire drill compliance.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQs about fire protection services for schools & universities

We get asked a lot of questions about our Fire Protection Services for Education — here are some of the most common.

How often are schools required to conduct fire drills?

Fire drill frequency requirements vary by state and jurisdiction. Most states require a minimum of one fire drill per month during the school year for K-12 schools, with the first drill required within the first ten days of the school year. Some states require additional drills at specific intervals or during specific weather conditions. Documentation of each drill — including date, time, participation, and any issues identified — is required and may be subject to state education department review. Fortis supports drill compliance through system documentation and coordination with campus safety officers.

What suppression systems are appropriate for school chemistry laboratories?

Chemistry and science laboratories with flammable chemical storage require suppression solutions that address the specific hazard profile of the space. Clean agent systems are appropriate for laboratory environments where equipment protection is important. CO2 systems may be used in specific applications. In all cases, laboratory suppression design must be coordinated with the laboratory's ventilation system, chemical storage protocols, and the applicable requirements of NFPA 45. Fortis engineers assess each laboratory environment individually before specifying a suppression solution.

Can fire alarm testing be performed without disrupting classes?

Most alarm system testing can be performed without full system activation — using testing modes that verify device function without triggering occupant notification. Full system functional tests, which do require notification, are scheduled during academic breaks, early morning hours before school starts, or in coordination with planned fire drills. Fortis works with campus operations teams to develop testing schedules that satisfy NFPA 72 requirements without disrupting the academic day.

What access control features are appropriate for a K-12 school campus?

K-12 campus access control typically includes controlled entry at all exterior doors with electronic credential or buzzer-entry systems, visitor management platforms that screen and document all non-staff visitors, door prop alarms for unauthorized exit monitoring, and integration with lockdown systems for emergency response. Systems are designed to secure the perimeter without creating an institutional atmosphere — providing protection that parents and staff expect without signaling to students that their school is a fortress. Fortis coordinates security system design with campus safety officers and local law enforcement recommendations.

WHY CHOOSE FORTIS for school & universities

The Fortis Difference

Fortis brings campus-wide expertise, academic-year scheduling discipline, and the state-specific compliance knowledge that school districts, university facilities teams, and campus safety officers need from a provider accountable to the communities they serve.Fortis understands that fire and life safety in hospitality environments requires more than technical competence — it requires the operational awareness, brand sensitivity, and discreet professionalism that guest-facing environments demand.
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Fortis ensures students and staff can focus on learning — knowing protection is already in place.

Campus expertise.

Fortis understands the specific demands of educational environments — the complexity of multi-building campuses, the sensitivity of student populations, and the regulatory obligations that vary by state and district.

Academic-year awareness.

Service programs designed around the academic calendar — not around our scheduling convenience. Major work happens during breaks. Routine inspections happen when they cause zero classroom disruption.

Complete campus coverage.

From chemistry lab suppression to campus-wide alarm loops to visitor management security — all from one provider, on coordinated schedules, with unified documentation.

education Service Area

Fire protection coverage

Fortis Fire & Safety operates through a national network of regionally embedded fire and life safety companies — delivering educational campus expertise in every market we serve, backed by the resources and standards of a premier national organization.

For national account inquiries, contact our National Accounts team.

Map of the US highlighting California, Illinois, North Carolina, and Florida with blue location pins.

CJ Suppression

205 Lewis Court
Corona, CA 92882

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VFS Fire & Security Services

501 W. Southern Avenue
Orange, CA 92865

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LaMarco Systems

425 Huehl Rd Building 5
Northbrook, IL 60062

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Diversified Systems, Inc.

1103 Great Falls Court
Knightdale, NC 27545

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Integrated Fire & Security Systems

1970 Dana Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33907

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Lifesafety Management

2017 Corporate Drive
Boynton Beach, FL 33426

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Piper Fire Protection

13075 US Hwy 19 N
Clearwater, FL 33764

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PROTECT THE CAMPUS. PROTECT THE FUTURE.

Talk to a Fortis education specialist about Fire & Life Safety for your campus.

(833) 3-FORTIS

Request a Campus Assessment

Fortis Family of Brands

Local expertise, national strength

Large group of people outside at night with raised hands, smiling and posing for a photo.

The best of both — in every market we serve.

Trust is built locally. It lives in the technician who knows your building, knows your local codes, and shows up when something goes wrong at midnight. It lives in the relationship between a fire protection company and the community it has served for decades. 

But capability is built at scale. The training standards, the technical resources, the purchasing power, the shared knowledge of a unified national organization — these are the things that make a local provider exceptional rather than merely adequate.

Fortis was built on this belief.

Our network of regionally rooted fire and life safety companies delivers genuine local expertise in every market we serve — technicians who know the regional AHJs, the local codes, and the specific demands of the facilities in their community. Behind each of them stands the full weight of a premier national organization.

You build. You create. You push the world forward.
‍We protect it all.