Nursing Home Design Guide
2006
key, or by pressing a code on a key pad.
2. Disaster Planning
Most of these systems also will respond
Situations can arise in which it may not
to a resident attempted departure after
be feasible to evacuate residents for
15 seconds of continuous pressure on
days, weeks, or months. In those
the exit door, by which time alert staff
cases, emergency power will be
should be able to respond to the alarm
required to maintain food service,
in the event of an unauthorized exit.
heating, ventilating and vertical
transportation systems, and life safety
The 2003 Edition of the IBC states that
systems. This is especially important to
resident units may not be locked-down
keep a frail resident population
for any reason, regardless of the
reasonably comfortable and safe. This
circumstances. Thus, delayed egress
Design Guide recommends that the
locking systems are not permitted in
project consider planning for this
states, which have adopted IBC 2003.
contingency in order to care for the
veteran population especially when the
facility is located in an area where a
high probability of threat exists from
natural disasters such as hurricanes and
earthquakes.
Office of Facilities Management
2-5
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