3809.1 Each MHCRF shall comply with Chapter 21 of the current edition of the Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association and the District's Smoke Detection Act, D.C. Code, 2001 Ed. §§6-751.01 to 6-751.10.

3809.2 Where a specific provision of this section conflicts with chapter 21 of the Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association, the specific provisions of this section shall apply.

3809.3 Each MHCRF shall have a written manual of instructions and plans, approved by the District of Columbia Fire Department, which shall be followed in case of fire, explosion, or any other emergency, which shall be available for review in each MHCRF.

3809.4 The manual shall specify the following:

(a) The persons to be notified;

(b) The locations of alarm signals and fire extinguisher;

(c) The evacuation routes;

(d) The frequency of fire drills; and

(e) The assignment of specific tasks and responsibilities to the staff of each shift.

3809.5 Drills testing the effectiveness of the fire plan shall be conducted for each resident individually upon admission, and for current residents within two (2) weeks of the implementation of these regulations. In addition, fire drills shall be conducted at least twice annually in all MHCRFs, with at least one drill conducted during the night. The exceptions listed in §31.9 of the current edition of the Life Safety Code shall apply.

3809.6 Each MHCRF shall maintain in its records the most recent fire inspection report with the date of the latest inspection of the alarm system.

3809.7 Each MHCRF shall install and maintain smoke detectors in accordance with §§4 through 9a of the Smoke Detector Act, as amended (D.C. Code, 2001 Ed. §§ 6-751.03 to 6-751.09).

3809.8 If all sleeping rooms are not located on the same level, the MHCRF shall install and maintain a smoke detector system composed of interconnected smoke detectors, unless the licensee can show to the satisfaction of the Fire Department that another detector system would be audible in all sleeping areas.

3809.9 Subsection 3809.7 shall apply to each MHCRF that is newly licensed or substantially

renovated after the effective date of these rules.

3809.10 Each existing MHCRF shall meet the requirements of this section within six (6) months following the effective date of this chapter.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 42 DCR 569, 577 (January 27, 1995).