7 AAC 50.510. Life and fire safety

(a) The standards for life and fire safety set out in 13 AAC 50.010 - 13 AAC 50.075 and 13 AAC 55.010 - 13 AAC 55.150 as administered by the Department of Public Safety apply to facilities providing

(1) deleted 7/1/2000;

(2) 24 hour care or overnight care for more than five children.

(b) Before an initial license will be issued to a center or group home the facility must comply with the applicable fire safety requirements specified in (a) and any additional or more stringent standards established by a municipality to which the state fire marshal has deferred building fire safety inspection and enforcement activities under 13 AAC 50.075(c) .

(c) At the time of licensing, a licensing representative will inspect a home to determine if the facility meets the applicable requirements of (d) - (i) of this section. The licensing representative will request an inspection by fire prevention officials if a home is subject to the requirements of (a) of this section and when the licensing representative determines that an inspection by a fire prevention official is necessary.

(d) A facility must have an emergency evacuation plan, approved by the licensing representative, that

(1) will, in moderate weather conditions, achieve complete evacuation of children, including children with limited mobility, within 150 seconds during an emergency; and

(2) specifically provides for the evacuation of all children under 30 months of age, children with limited mobility, or children who otherwise may need assistance in an emergency, such as a child who is mentally, visually, or hearing impaired.

(e) A facility shall conduct and document regular emergency evacuation drills at least once a month, unless

(1) postponed due to severe weather; or

(2) in a foster home, all children in care are age 12 or older and have been in care at the facility for at least three months, in which case an evacuation drill must be conducted at least once every three months.

(f) A home must have at least

(1) two means of emergency escape that are remote from each other and that provide unobstructed access to the outside of the building; at least one means of emergency escape must be an exterior door;

(2) one means of escape from the basement directly to the outside at or near ground level, if children occupy a basement area for any part of the day; and

(3) one operable window that meets the requirements to (h)(1) - (3) of this section and provides escape directly to the outside in each child's sleeping room.

(g) A facility located in a single family dwelling that has only one exterior door may not have more than six children in care, including the children who are related to the facility administrator or foster parent.

(h) If, under (f)(1) of this section, the home designates a window as one required means of emergency escape, the window must be operable and comply with the following:

(1) the finished sill height may not exceed 48 inches above the floor;

(2) the net clear openable area must be a minimum of 5.7 square feet, with a minimum net clear openable height dimension of 24 inches; and

(3) the minimum net clear openable width dimension must be 20 inches.

(i) A home must be free of fire hazards and must

(1) have at least one AC primary power or monitored battery powered smoke detection device and at least one fully charged 2A:10BC dry chemical fire extinguisher strategically located on each level;

(2) ensure that any flammable or combustible liquids are stored in containers with tight fitting lids out of the reach of young children; and

(3) ensure that heating appliances are installed and maintained in a safe and serviceable manner, including

(A) venting to the outside if the appliance is fuel burning; and

(B) not being placed or located in sleeping quarters during sleeping hours, unless the facility does not have a separate sleeping area, or in exit ways or corridors at any time.

History: Eff. 1/1/96, Register 136; am 3/1/98, Register 145

Authority: AS 44.29.020

AS 47.35.010

The Alaska Administrative Code was automatically converted to HTML from a plain text format. Every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, but neither Touch N' Go Systems nor the Law Offices of James B. Gottstein can be held responsible for any possible errors. This version of the Alaska Administrative Code is current through June, 2006.

If it is critical that the precise terms of the Alaska Administrative Code be known, it is recommended that more formal sources be consulted. Recent editions of the Alaska Administrative Journal may be obtained from the Alaska Lieutenant Governor's Office on the world wide web. If any errors are found, please e-mail Touch N' Go systems at E-mail. We hope you find this information useful. Copyright 2006. Touch N' Go Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.