Campus Events
When an event on campus or university grounds involves more than 50 attendees and includes the possibility for panic or injury in the event of a fire or other emergency, it is required to be in accordance with OSU Policy 3-0830, Public Assembly Events in Campus Buildings.
Three main areas of concern are the occupancy load of the location, the number of exits required, and the presence of crowd control management personnel. These variables change according to the number of expected attendees.
University Fire Marshal (UFM) checklist for public events:
- Once approval has been gained for use of the space, contact the UFM to discuss the event. The calculation of occupancy load may be necessary to determine how many tickets can be sold for the event of how many people can be permitted to attend. This should be done as quickly as possible to avoid overselling tickets.
- Once the occupancy load has been established, the UFM can assist in determining the number of crown managers and support that is needed to safeguard attendees. In the case of smaller events, this may not be required.
- The UFM will also determine whether or not first aid/safety personnel are required.
- Prior to submitting the event permit request, the sponsoring group must contact OSU PD and Facilities Management to determine if their support is required.
- If external vendors are needed, the sponsoring group should contact Risk Management for guidance on insurance requirements.
To ensure that all events held on campus are in compliance with university policy and state laws, the event must have an approved event permit issued by the UFM (or designee). All permit requests should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event. All arrangements for safety, security, and support are the responsibility of the sponsoring agency. If at any time, the event is found to be in violation of university policy, state law, or fire and life safety codes, the event can be stopped, delayed or canceled until all violations have been corrected.
Documents and Tips
Event Permit Application Video