Affordable Fire Safety in Board and Care Homes: A Regulatory Challenge. Interim Report.
Affordable Fire Safety in Board and Care Homes: A
Regulatory Challenge. Interim Report.
(1383 K)
Levin, B. M.; Groner, N. E.; Paulsen, R.
NIST GCR 92-611; 63 p. May 1992.
Sponsor:
National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD
Available from:
National Technical Information Service
Order number: PB92-205483
Keywords:
board and care homes; fire safety; costs; fire codes;
human behavior; planning
Abstract:
This is an interim report on a project concerning fire
safety in Board and Care Homes. Homes vary greatly in
the level of disability of residents and financial
resources of the residents. A major concern is the
availability of satisfactory care for clients with
limited funds. Meeting fire safety codes can mean an
unaffordable capital cost to financially marginal
providers who cannot borrow money. One focus of the
study is the use of the provisions in the Life Safety
Code. Many agencies use these requirements and find
they lead to a high level of safety without excessive
costs. All have developed or adopted a procedure for
rating Evacuation Difficulty that they find workable,
and many find satisfactory. Other agencies use other
requirements, sometimes more lenient and often more
strict. Costs of fire safety systems, such as
sprinklers, can vary greatly, impending a dialogue on
the benefit-cost relationships of these systems. It
appears that in some locations there are many homes that
provide the services of Board and Care Homes but are not
regulated.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899