Section 7 AAC 67.303 - Life and fire safety(a) A foster home must comply with the applicable life and fire safety requirements of this section and any additional or more stringent applicable standards established by a municipality to which the state fire marshal has delegated building and fire safety inspection and enforcement activities under 13 AAC 50.(b) At the time of licensing, the department will inspect a foster home to determine if the foster home meets the applicable requirements of this section. Based on the inspection, or if the department determines that it is necessary for purposes of public health, safety, or welfare, the department may request an advisory inspection report from local or state authorities. The foster home is responsible for any fee charged by the authority for each inspection.(c) A foster home must have a disaster preparedness and emergency evacuation plan that(1) includes evacuation procedures that will ensure the complete evacuation of children in care, including children with limited mobility, within three minutes;(2) describes in detail the procedures that will be followed for the complete evacuation of the foster home, including specific procedures as applicable for(A) children under 30 months of age;(B) adults or children with limited mobility; and(C) adults or children who otherwise may need assistance in an emergency, including an adult or child who is mentally, visually, or hearing impaired;(3) includes procedures, in a format required by the department, for other emergency situations or natural disasters that may affect the foster home; and (4) requires(A) the licensed foster parent to provide training of all caregivers in implementing the plan; and(B) participation of all caregivers who are present during scheduled drills.(d) A foster home shall conduct emergency evacuation drills as required in this subsection. The foster home shall conduct a drill at least once each month if there are children in care placed in the home. Children whose medical or physical condition may be compromised by an emergency evacuation drill do not need to participate. However, caregivers must review the evacuation plan procedures for these children before or after the drill.(e) A foster home shall document and retain a record of each required evacuation drill and make the record available to the department upon request. The record must include the (1) date and time of the drill;(2) name of each caregiver who was present at the time of the drill;(3) initials, provided by the foster parent, of each child in care who was present at the time of the drill; and(4) amount of time required to complete the drill. (f) If an emergency affects a foster home, the foster home shall notify the department by telephone, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail not later than the following working day, and the department may request a detailed written report.(g) In addition to the first aid kit required under 7 AAC 67.335, a foster home shall maintain in an accessible location one disaster kit that includes(1) at least one working flashlight and extra batteries;(2) at least one battery-operated or hand-crank radio and extra batteries;(4) nonperishable food; and(h) A foster home that uses oil, wood, natural gas, or propane as a heating or cooking fuel shall ensure that an operating carbon monoxide detector is installed within each sleeping area, or not more than three feet from the entrance to that area, and is regularly inspected, tested, and serviced. In addition, if the foster home is a multi-level facility, at least one operating carbon monoxide detector must be installed on each level.(i) A foster home shall ensure that(1) the home has at least two means of emergency escape that are remote from each other and that provide unobstructed access to the outside of the building; at least one means of emergency escape must be an exterior door; if one of the means of emergency escape is a window, the window must comply with the requirements of (3) of this subsection;(2) the home has at least one means of escape from any basement directly to the outside at or near ground level, if the basement is occupied for any part of the day;(3) each bedroom has at least one exterior door for emergency escape and rescue directly to the outside or one fully opening window that provides escape directly to the outside that meets the following requirements:(A) the finished sill height may not exceed(i) 44 inches above the floor; the department will allow a foster home to meet this requirement through the provision of a permanently installed step, the top of which is no more than 44 inches from the sill, if the step does not create a tripping hazard, block wheelchair access in the bedroom, or block a heating element; or(ii) 48 inches above the floor if the window is located in the basement, and the home does not already meet the standard in (i) of this subparagraph; the home must meet the standard in (i) of this subparagraph if the bedroom is remodeled or a new bedroom is constructed;(B) the net clear openable area must be a minimum of five square feet for windows; for purposes of this subparagraph, the net clear openable height may not be less than 22 inches and the width may not be less than 20 inches;(C) for floor windows other than grade floor, the net clear openable area must be a minimum of 5.7 square feet; the net clear openable height may not be less than 24 inches and the net clear openable width may not be less than 20 inches; a window screen may not be used if it permanently prevents exit or if it cannot be easily removed for exit;(4) the foster home and premises are free of any accumulation of combustible waste material and other fire hazards;(5) at least one AC primary-powered smoke detection device with battery backup, or at least one monitored battery-powered smoke detection device, is located in each bedroom; in addition, if the foster home is multi-level, at least one smoke detection device must be installed on each level; each device required under this paragraph must be less than 10 years old, or newer if necessary to comply with the manufacturer's recommended replacement date; in this paragraph, "AC" means alternating current;(6) at least one fully charged 2A: lOBC multipurpose dry chemical fire extinguisher is strategically located on each level of the facility, and is maintained, serviced, and replaced according to manufacturer's instructions; and(7) any flammable or combustible liquid is stored in a container with a tight-fitting lid that is specifically designed for holding flammable or combustible liquids; the foster home shall ensure that these liquids are kept out of the reach of children.Eff. 7/1/2022, Register 242, July 2022Authority:AS 44.30.020
AS 47.14.120
AS 47.32.010
AS 47.32.020
AS 47.32.030
AS 47.32.032
AS 47.32.110