The 2012 edition of NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, produced by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to provide guidance for preventing fire and related hazards, includes new guidelines that promise to foster a more comfortable and home-like setting in long term care environments.
The new edition recommends that states allow long term care communities to create more warm and inviting environments. For example, gas and electric fireplaces could be allowed in smoke compartments that enclose sleeping rooms. These fireplaces should be locked and sealed with a glass front and would not be allowed in individual sleeping rooms, out of concern for residents’ safety. Combustible decorations could be permissible in corridors, on doors, in resident rooms, and in common areas. Although the number is limited depending on factors such as if the building is equipped with sprinklers and where items are located, this change could allow residents more freedom with how they decorate their rooms.
The updated code also suggests that furniture could be made available in hallways. This change could allow residents to rest if they need to as they travel from place to place. Some seniors, who cannot walk down long corridors without resting, have been limited to traveling through hallways by wheel chair before the changes. These individuals could now have the option to walk, restoring their independence.
If it serves no more than 30 residents and meets other general requirements, NFPA says that kitchens could be permitted to be open to a corridor or other living space. The kitchen may also have either residential or commercial stoves or cooktops. These new kitchens will remind residents more of the kitchens they have always seen in their homes.
The changes to the NFPA 101: Life Safety Code are meaningful for many residents, and ALFA encourages states to adopt NFPA’s safety code. The full safety code is available for purchase on NFPA’s website.
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