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11 'b ,' Ch � SSS, L,A u')S N i� PPL 1�)i "Movinp Mankind Toward Safety From fire" Richard L. Sorensen Fire Marshal City of Albert Lea 221 East Clark Street Albert Lea, Minnesota 56007 Dear Marshal Sorensen: NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION. INIERNATIONAL Life Safety Field Service I i Engineering Services Division -% June 11, 1984 W"' a This is in response to your letter dated May 7, 1984 to the Editor of Fire Journal, which I have already received numerous copies of from several different sources. ' I must agree with you that the revisions or changes made by the State are quite significant and can lead, in my personal opinion, to a very dangerous situation when considering the ages and abilities of the people involved in day care facilities. The change regarding day care centers with fewer.than 80 children, would appear to allow all of the exiting from the basement of a day care center to be through the first floor. In other words, if there were a fire on the first floor, everyone would be trapped in the basement. Thq Life Safety Code, both the present 1981 edition and the proposed 1985 edition, are designed to insure that at least one exit from the basement level would discharge directly outside providing a protected path of travel for the children in the basement in the event of a fire on the first floor. I can see no substantiation for the change made to this by the legislature of the State of Minnesota. This is not a difficult requirement with which to comply and is the basic intent of the requirements in almost all other occupancies with very few exceptions. It is interesting to note that the legislature has required a comprehensive study of the issues surrounding licensure of these facilities. I would like to point out that the provisions in the Life Safety Code were based on a comprehensive report prepared by the federal government in the early 1970's. This study resulted in guidelines for regulations which were issued by the, then, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, now the Department of Education. The Life Safety Code follows these guidelines quite closely and, in fact, had representatives involved in the study. It may be of interest to determine whether the facilities which would comply with the revisions done by the State of Minnesota would still be eligible for federal funding as they would appear not to comply with the federal guidelines for day care facilities. In addition, I would like to point out A statement, written or oral, that is not processed in accordance with Section 16 of the NFPA's Regulations Goveming Committee Projects shall not be considered the official position of NFPA or any of Its Committers and shelf not be considered to be, nor relied upon as, a Formal Interpretation. EXECUTIVE OFFICE: BATTERYMARCH PARK, QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, U. S. A.02269 *TELEPHONE (617) 77DOM a TELEX 944)720 The non-profit technical and educational organization: To promote the science and improve the methods of fire protection and prevention: to obtain and ceicuiste information on these subjects and to secure the cooperation of Its member& and the public in establishing proper safeguards against loss of life and properly by lire.