Section 350.2920  Codes and Standards

a)         Nothing stated herein shall relieve the sponsor from compliance with building codes, ordinances and regulations which are enforced by city, county or other local jurisdictions.  (B)

b)         The 1981 Edition of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard No. 101, Life Safety Code for existing structures and all appropriate references under Appendix "B" of that Code, but no subsequently amended edition of the Code, shall apply to and become a part of these standards. Pursuant to the Medicare-Medicaid certification requirements of 42 CFR 442.507(c) (1983), but no subsequently amended editions of these Federal regulations, any facility that on November 26, 1982 complied with the requirements of the 1967 edition of the Life Safety Code, rather than the 1981 edition of the Life Safety Code, will be accepted by the Department for licensure and certification as long as the facility continues to remain in compliance with the 1967 edition of the Code. (A, B)

c)         The following exceptions to the 1967 Life Safety Code have been established by the Department:

1)         Facilities shall be of the heights and construction types with sprinkler requirements identified in Table C. (B)

2)         Dead-end corridors greater than 50 feet in length shall be altered so that exits are accessible in at least two directions from all points in aisles, passageways, and corridors.  (B)

3)         Exit discharge doors and resident sleeping doors must be at least 34 inches in width. Width required is the width of the door leaf.

4)         All corridors shall be at least four feet wide.

d)         The following equivalencies have been established by the Department:

1)         Where corridor partition walls are not continuous from the floor slab to the underside of the floor or roof slab above, through any concealed spaces such as those above the suspended ceilings and through interstitial structural and mechanical spaces, the following equivalencies are permitted:  (B)

A)        A membrane ceiling which may be lath and plaster or drywall or a lay-in ceiling with all tiles clipped down and with all clips remaining in place, or with all the tiles weighing at least one pound per square foot.  The ceiling may be suspended but it must be constructed continually from exterior wall to exterior wall and must be part of a one hour rated assembly.  All recessed lights, all duct outlets and all speaker outlets must be properly protected in accordance with Code.  Plenums are not allowed unless each outlet is properly protected. This concept is applicable only to two-hour fire resistive and one-hour protected noncombustible construction.

B)        A membrane ceiling of at least a one hour rating (such as two layers of five-eighths inch Fire Code drywall) is acceptable for noncombustible, one hour protected ordinary, ordinary, one hour protected wood frame, wood frame and heavy timber construction.

C)        Corridor walls need not run up in two-hour fire resistive and one-hour protected noncombustible construction if automatic sprinklers are installed throughout.

D)        Smoke detectors may be used in lieu of continuous corridor wall construction all building construction types which are equipped throughout with an automatic extinguishment system required by these Standards.  Automatic heat detectors, in lieu of automatic smoke detectors, may be installed in kitchens, laundry rooms, boiler-furnace rooms and attic spaces.

2)         This equivalency is applicable only to those facilities which are in conformance with these requirements on the date of promulgation of these standards and only if the facility remains in conformance.  The equivalency is applicable to facilities with nonconforming construction type.  The following requirements must be met for facilities four stories or more in height of protected ordinary construction.

A)        The fire resistance rating of all structural members must meet the two-hour fire resistive classification of NFPA 220, Standard Types of Building Construction, dated May, 196l, except that floor and roof framing members and nonbearing walls may be of combustible construction.

B)        Smoke detectors must be installed in all resident rooms, corridors, living areas, day rooms and in all hazardous and severely hazardous areas throughout the facility.  However, automatic heat detectors may be installed, in lieu of automatic smoke detectors, in kitchens, laundry rooms, boiler-furnace rooms and attic spaces (places where smoke, dust and humidity sometimes activate smoke alarms when no fire is present, resulting in false fire alarms), if the facility chooses to do so for the purpose of reducing the number of false fire alarms.  A zone readout identifying areas involved in a fire must be provided.

C)        All electrical systems shall meet the National Electrical Code in effect at the time of acceptance of the facility.

D)        Facility shall establish and enforce written procedures to prohibit smoking in resident sleeping rooms and corridors.  Smoking is permitted only in controlled areas.

E)        A complete automatic extinguishment system shall be installed throughout the facility.

F)         All health survey deficiencies must be corrected.

G)        The physically handicapped residents shall be housed on the lowest sleeping room floor and ambulant residents may be housed on any floor.

H)        Complete smoke barriers including one-hour rated walls and one and three-quarters inch thick solid core wood corridor doors with closers shall be installed as directed by the Department.

e)         The following rules  which were effective at the date of approval by the Department of the final drawings and specifications or the final inspection of the building apply:  (B)

1)         Illinois State Plumbing Code (77 Ill. Adm. Code 890), Department of Public Health

2)         Illinois Accessibility Code (71 I11. Adm. Code 400), Capitol Development Board

3)         Fire Prevention and Safety (41 Ill. Adm. Code 100), Office of the State Fire Marshal

4)         Food Service Sanitation (77 Ill. Adm. Code 750), Department of Public Health

5)         Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety (41 Ill. Adm. Code 120, Office of State Fire Marshal

f)         The requirements in this Part govern in cases of differences between this Part and the rules listed in this Section.  (B)

(Source:  Amended at 13 Ill. Reg. 6040, effective April 17, 1989)