§ 2800.121. Unobstructed egress.
(a) Stairways, hallways, doorways, passageways, and egress routes from living units and from the building must be unlocked and unobstructed.
(b) Except as provided in § 2800.101 (relating to resident living units), doors
used for egress routes from living units and from the building may not be
equipped with key-locking devices, electronic card-operated systems or other
devices that prevent immediate egress of residents from the building, unless the
the residence has written approval or a variance from the Department of Labor and
Industry, the Department of Health, or the appropriate local building authority.

§ 2800.122. Exits.
Unless otherwise regulated by the Department of Labor and Industry, the
Department of Health or the appropriate local building authority, all buildings
must have at least two independent and accessible exits from every floor,
arranged to reduce the possibility that both will be blocked in an emergency situation.

§ 2800.123. Emergency evacuation.
(a) Exit doors must be equipped so that they can be easily opened by residents from the inside without the use of a key or other manual device that can be
removed, misplaced or lost.
(b) Copies of the emergency procedures as specified in § 2800.107 (relating
to emergency preparedness) shall be posted in a conspicuous and public place in
the residence and a copy shall be kept.
(c) For a residence serving nine or more residents, an emergency evacuation
diagram of each floor showing corridors, line of travel to exit doors and location
of the fire extinguishers and pull signals shall be posted in a conspicuous and
public place on each floor.
(d) If the residence serves one or more residents with mobility needs above
or below grade level of the residence, there shall be a fire-safe area, as specified
in writing within the past year by a fire safety expert, on the same floor as each
resident with mobility needs.
§ 2800.124. Notification of local fire officials.
The residence shall notify the local fire department in writing of the address of
the residence, location of the living units and bedrooms and the assistance needed
to evacuate in an emergency. Documentation of notification shall be kept.
§ 2800.125. Flammable and combustible materials.
(a) Combustible and flammable materials may not be located near heat
sources or hot water heaters.
(b) Combustible materials shall be inaccessible to residents.

§ 2800.126. Furnaces.
(a) A professional furnace cleaning company or trained maintenance staff
person shall inspect furnaces at least annually. Documentation of the inspection
shall be kept.
(b) Furnaces shall be cleaned according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Documentation of the cleaning shall be kept.
§ 2800.127. Space heaters.
(a) Portable space heaters are prohibited.
(b) Nonportable space heaters must be well vented and installed with permanent connections and protectors.
§ 2800.128. Supplemental heating sources.
(a) The use of kerosene burning heaters is prohibited.
(b) Wood and coal burning stoves shall be used only if a local fire department
or other municipal fire safety authority, professional cleaning company or trained
maintenance staff person inspects and approves them annually. Wood and coal-burning stoves that are used as a regular heating source shall be cleaned every
year according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Documentation of wood and
coal burning stove inspections and cleanings shall be kept.
(c) Wood and coal-burning stoves must be securely screened or equipped
with protective guards while in use.

§ 2800.129. Fireplaces.
(a) A fireplace must be securely screened or equipped with protective guards
while in use.
(b) A fireplace chimney and flue shall be cleaned when there is an accumulation of creosote. Written documentation of the cleaning shall be kept.
(c) A fireplace chimney and flue that is used must be serviced annually and
written documentation of the servicing shall be kept.

§ 2800.130. Smoke detectors and fire alarms.
(a) There shall be an operable automatic smoke detector located in each living unit.
(b) Smoke detectors and fire alarms must be of a type approved by the
Department of Labor and Industry, the appropriate local building authority or
local fire safety expert, or listed by Underwriters Laboratories.
(c) If the residence serves nine or more residents, there shall be at least one
smoke detector on each floor interconnected and audible throughout the residence
or an automatic fire alarm system that is interconnected and audible throughout
the residence.
(d) If one or more residents or staff persons are not able to hear the smoke
detector or fire alarm system, a signaling device approved by a fire safety expert
shall be used and tested so that each resident and staff person with a hearing
impairment will be alerted in the event of a fire.
(e) Smoke detectors and fire alarms shall be tested for operability at least
once per month. A written record of the monthly testing shall be kept.
(f) If a smoke detector or fire alarm becomes inoperative, repair shall be
completed within 48 hours of the time the detector or alarm was found to be
inoperative.
(g) The residence’s emergency procedures must indicate the procedures that
will be immediately implemented until the smoke detector or fire alarms are
operable.
(h) In residences housing five or more residents with mobility needs, the fire
alarm system shall be directly connected to the local fire department or 24-hour
monitoring service approved by the local fire department, if this service is available in the community.

§ 2800.131. Fire extinguishers.
(a) There shall be at least one operable fire extinguisher with a minimum 2-A
rating for each floor, including public walkways and common living areas every
3,000 square feet, the basement and attic.
(b) If the indoor floor area on a floor including the basement or attic is more
than 3,000 square feet, there shall be an additional fire extinguisher with a minimum 2-A rating for each additional 3,000 square feet of indoor floor space.
(c) A fire extinguisher with a minimum 2A-10BC rating shall be located in
each kitchen of the residence. The kitchen extinguisher must meet the requirements for one floor as required in subsection (a).
(d) Fire extinguishers must be listed by Underwriters Laboratories or
approved by Factory Mutual Systems.
(e) Fire extinguishers shall be accessible to staff persons. Fire extinguishers
shall be kept locked if access to the extinguisher by a resident could cause a
safety risk to the resident. If fire extinguishers are kept locked, each staff person
shall be able to immediately unlock the fire extinguisher in the event of a fire
emergency.
(f) Fire extinguishers shall be inspected and approved annually by a fire
safety expert. The date of the inspection shall be on the extinguisher.

§ 2800.132. Fire drills.
(a) An unannounced fire drill shall be held at least once a month.
(b) A fire safety inspection and fire drill conducted by a fire safety expert
shall be completed annually. Documentation of this fire drill and fire safety
inspection shall be kept.
(c) A written fire drill record must include the date, time, the amount of time
it took for evacuation, the exit route used, the number of residents in the residence at the time of the drill, the number of residents evacuated, the number of
staff persons participating, problems encountered and whether the fire alarm or
smoke detector was operative.
(d) Residents shall be able to evacuate the entire building to a public thoroughfare, or to a fire-safe area designated in writing within the past year by a fire
safety expert within the period of time specified in writing within the past year
by a fire safety expert. For purposes of this subsection, the fire safety expert may
not be a staff person of the residence.
(e) A fire drill shall be held during sleeping hours once every 6 months.
(f) Alternate exit routes shall be used during fire drills.
(g) Fire drills shall be held on different days of the week, at different times
of the day and night, not routinely held when additional staff persons are present, and not routinely held at times when resident attendance is low.
(h) Residents shall evacuate to a designated meeting place away from the
building or within the fire-safe area during each fire drill.
(i) A fire alarm or smoke detector shall be set off during each fire drill.
(j) Elevators may not be used during a fire drill or a fire.
§ 2800.133. Exit signs.
The following requirements apply for a residence serving nine or more residents:
(1) Signs bearing the word ‘‘EXIT’’ in plainly legible letters shall be placed
at all exits.
(2) Access to exits shall be marked with readily visible signs indicating the
direction to travel.
(3) Exit sign letters must be at least 6 inches in height with the principal
strokes of letters at least 3/4 inch wide.