fire safety in facilties

Crushed

Horrible fire in New York with at least one patient and probably one fire fighter killed

I wrote my law school dissertation on fire safety in mental hospitals and I started teaching fire safety regulation in 1975.  This is beyond appalling

I will put together a list of things to look for in any facility.  DW is in a sprinklered single story facility  with an exit directly outdoors within 75 feet of every point, and a second exit no more than 100 feet.   

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/23/us/spring-valley-new-york-senior-center-fire/index.html

Crushed

First reports indicate that the Evergreen Court Home for Adults which burned had a "partial sprinkler system"

Think partial condom, partial parachute, partial seat belt, etc.  

Donr

Another good item to look for while looking for a NH.

Crushed

Let me describe DW's facility, all of which contributes to fire safety 

1) single story

2) 4 resident wings each with 16 rooms  Exits to outside on the end and middle Exit to central area at other end. 

3) fully sprinklered.

4) Smoke detector controlled electronically released rated fire doors doors at the end of every  resident wing  where it attaches to the central area

5) tea kitchen/dining area in center of each wing  no cooking in the wings  They do do dishwashing and keep snacks etc. 

6) Central kitchen separated by entry controlled rated fire door. All food is delivered to wings in special food carts  which can be plugged in to keep food warm

7) no smoking anywhere by anyone.  no extension cords, no residents can have heating appliances.  Electric lift chairs must be approved and maintained by the technical staff.  

8) full smoke detector coverage 

9)  Central area also has 4 exits.  Three to outside one through rated secure door to office area main entrance.   There are no stairways in the building.  All storage has fire rated secure doors.

10) No reliance on fire extinguishers , which are almost useless in this context.

11) Outside evacuation is secure and there is a fire meeting area at both ends.

12) full fire plan including roster of patients is kept where directly accessible to Fire department

13) evacuation wheelchairs are kept in all wings.

Michael Ellenbogen

How about exit doors with no chains or locks on them? Don’t they also need to conduct some kind of fire drill training for staff so many times a year?

Crushed

Michael Ellenbogen wrote:

How about exit doors with no chains or locks on them? Don’t they also need to conduct some kind of fire drill training for staff so many times a year?

An exit door with any kind of chain or non over ride lock is a criminal offense.

The facility exit doors have 15 second very loud alarms and then can be pushed open.

certain doors unlock if the smoke detectors go off

and yes fire drills for staff are quarterly

What is a delayed egress lock?

The Delayed Egress Lock is designed to delay exit through a fire egress door for a predetermined time period (usually 15 to 30 seconds). A user approaches the door, pushes on a panic bar equipped with an exit sense switch, and holds the panic bar in while the countdown timer counts down to zero from the preset time.

Iris L.

Thank you Crushed, for this detailed information on what to look for in selecting a residential facility.  

Iris