1.  Flood - not the biblical kind, the broken pipe kind.

2.  Theft - it's not just your PC taken, it's your data.

3.  Fire - the building will probably still be there, but your records may not be.

Each year, faculty and staff at UC experience a disaster. Maybe not the kind of disaster that Hollywood makes movies about, but a disaster nonetheless. Look around your office, and think about what would happen if a pipe in the ceiling were to burst, drenching everything in the room. Perhaps a short circuit in a computer monitor, starting a fire that coats everything in corrosive soot.

Floods caused by broken pipes can occur without warning in any building. We are particularly vulnerable in the winter. A few years ago freezing weather burst a six inch water line in the CAS library. Beside the damages to the library, the bookstore located below had a foot of water cascade over all of their stock. Inadvertent fire sprinkler activation and roof leaks are also sources of water damage.

Theft is perhaps the disaster you can do the most to avoid, but there is no absolute protection. The loss of equipment is usually not the real problem, but rather the loss of data and productivity. In one case, a researcher lost almost twenty years of data when their computer and back-up disks were taken.

Fires are less common, but small ones happen six or eight times each year. This summer, a monitor for a computer server overheated, starting a small fire in Media Services. The only thing actually burned was the computer cart, the server, and the monitor. But the damage was much more extensive. Soot covered everything in the suite, from computers to photographs to cameras. The rooms were uninhabitable, forcing Media Services to relocate while a specialized contractor cleaned up the smoke damage. Smoke from today's fires is particularly nasty. The burning plastic creates a corrosive smoke that destroys electronic equipment.

What can you do to reduce your risk?

Make regular back-up copies of all your computer data, and store a copy in a different location, preferably a different building. Don't make a back-up and then store it next to the computer. Avoid locating critical servers and files in locations prone to water damage. For example, a space beneath a mechanical room is more likely to experience water leaks.  Keep critical servers off the floor, and inside a properly designed cabinet to minimize the damage in the event of a water leak.

Follow the fire prevention code. Every building is inspected at least once a year. Carefully review your inspection and make sure problems are corrected. Don't plug too many items into one outlet, and only use Underwriter's Laboratories listed outlet strips that have a circuit breaker.

Don't leave computer monitors on overnight. The monitor is the component most likely to overheat and start a fire.

Close doors at the end of day to help prevent smoke spread. Don't prop open fire doors at any time.

Ask for advice. The University has a business continuity planner who can be reached at 556-4305.

The Fire Prevention unit can be reached at 556-4992.