UNM Fire Marshal Vince Leonard begins his days not in his office, but at various campus construction sites.
"We handle every aspect of fire safety from inspections to new construction projects on campus," Leonard said. "We're a one-stop shop for safety on campus."
The fire safety division operates under the Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs Department that oversees every component of new construction projects.
According to the department, it's better to be active in the planning and construction process rather than inspecting the building at the end and then noticing problems.
The department also works with a long list of other University departments to increase fire safety, such as the School of Medicine and the Chemistry Department, which both have chemical labs that are required to comply with certain fire codes.
The department works with fraternities in regard to safety training and home inspections.
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Leonard said he would like to the see the department become more directly involved with students concerning fire safety, but time and money are factors.
During Welcome Back Days, the fire safety division displayed pictures of campus fires in residence halls, parking structures and fraternities.
The department offers training in a variety of courses, such as defensive driving, radiation and fire safety. The classes are required for some UNM employees and are open to interested students.
"Any student with a safety problem or question is more than welcome to come over here," Leonard said.
Leonard has been in fire safety for almost 30 years, but has been employed at the University Safety Department for eight.
"The department has expanded a lot in the past 10 years," Leonard said.
During the years, the department has had to hire full-time employees to inspect all sprinkler systems and fire extinguishers on campus.
"We have a long way to go but we've made leaps and bounds over the last few years," Leonard said.
One day, Leonard said, he hopes to see 30 people employed solely in the fire safety division rather than the 30 people that comprise the entire department now.
"Right now, we are fortunate to have the University as a whole to be supporting us," Leonard said. "The campus is taking a greater interest in safety."
