Each room in the day care center is required to have two means of escape. The primary means will be the normal door and/or passage to the outside of the building and leading to a public way. The secondary means of escape will be either another door which is removed from the primary door allowing passage to the outside without passing through the same area or atmosphere as the primary route, or the secondary means of escape may be a window of egress size. If neither of these two methods of providing a secondary means of escape is possible, the building may be provided with a fully automatic sprinkler system. From the center there must be two proper exits that will include proper exit doors with proper exit signs and emergency lighting. Exterior lighting is also a must to provide illumination sufficient for the clients to gain way to the public way.
The Department of Public Safety does not recognize the act of removing the sashes of a double hung window to achieve the minimum of 5.7 square feet of clear opening for an egress window. The method used by this department in measuring the clear opening of a window involves:
- Opening the window
- Measuring the width of the opening
- Measuring the height of the opening
- Multiplying the two dimensions
- Dividing the product by 144 (converting to square feet)
Egress Window Policy (PDF, 2 pages)
All hazardous areas, laundries, wood-working shops, central heating units, and storage areas shall be separated from day care areas with a full set of walls constructed with a one-hour fire rating, including doors having a 45-minute fire rating. All fire rated doors be self-closing and positive latching to provide the proper protection from fire that may occur in these rooms. This requirement is exempted if the building is fully sprinkled. The rooms/areas must then only have a door that is self-closing and positively latches.
Un-vented fuel-fired heaters are not allowed in day care centers. (Vented means connected to a listed venting system terminating at the outside of the building and above the building where required by venting system or manufacture of the heating device.)
The following records must be kept at the facility and updated continually as items are maintained and tested:
- Fire Drill records: For one full year (12 months)
- Smoke detector testing: Monthly/Yearly
- Emergency lighting: Monthly/Yearly
- Exit sign testing: Monthly/Yearly
- Sprinkler System: Quarterly/Yearly
- Alarm System: Yearly
Emergency egress and relocation drills shall be conducted every month the facility is in session. All occupants of the building shall participate in the drill. If the facility is not open year-round, then not less than one extra drill must be conducted within the first 30 days of operation.
All waste containers and wastebaskets must be of a noncombustible or other approved material.