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mental or physical incapacity, maybe unable to provide for their own
needs and safety without the assistance of another person. Nursing
home, wherever used in this IRR, shall include nursing and convales-
cent homes, skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and
infirmaries of homes for the aged.
3. Residential-Custodial Care Facility
A building, or part thereof, used for the lodging or boarding of four (4)
or more persons who are incapable of self-preservation because of
age, or physical or mental limitation. This includes facilities such as
homes for the aged, nurseries (custodial care for children under six (6)
years of age), and mentally retarded care institutions. Day care
facilities that do not provide lodging or boarding for institutional
occupants are not covered in this Division.
B. Fundamental Requirements
1. All health care buildings shall be so designed, constructed, main-
tained, and operated as to minimize the possibility of a fire emergency
requiring the evacuation of occupants. Because the safety of
occupants of health care buildings cannot be assured adequately by
dependence on evacuation of the building, their protection from the
fire shall be provided by appropriate arrangement of facilities,
adequate staffing, and careful development of operating and
maintenance procedure composed of the following:
a. Proper design, construction, and compartmentation;
b. Provisions for detection, alarm, and extinguishment; and
c. Fire prevention and the planning, training, and drilling in programs
for the isolation of fire and transfer of occupants to areas of refuge
or evacuation of the building.
2. It is recognized that in buildings housing various types of psychiatric
patients, it may be necessary to lock doors and bar windows to
confine and protect building inhabitants. Sections of this Rule requiring
the keeping of exits unlocked maybe waived by the Chief, BFP or his
duly authorized representative. It is also recognized that some
psychiatric patients are not capable of seeking safety without
guidance. In buildings in which doors are locked or windows are
barred, provisions shall be made for the removal of occupants by such
reliable means as the remote control of locks or by keying all locks to
keys carried by attendants.
C. Emergency Rooms, Operating Rooms, Intensive Care Units, Delivery
Rooms and Other Similar Facilities
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