Life Safety (LS) (Ambulatory Health Care / Ambulatory Health Care)
Means of Egress - Suite-to-Suite Exit/Suite Direct Exit to Stairwell
Publish | January 01, 0001
What is the requirement for suite-to-suite exits or suite direct exit to a stairwell?
The organization may invoke CMS Categorical Waiver 13-58, item 5 Suites, where NFPA 101 (2012 edition) is used to evaluate patient care sleeping and non-sleeping suite compliance. Per 18/19.2.5.7, where two exits or more exist, one can be suite-to-suite, directly to an exit stairwell or directly to the outside. One of the other egress arrangements must be directly to an egress access corridor or to a horizontal exit. It is important to validate that all of the requirements of NFPA 101 (2012) 18/19.2.5.7 are adhered to before invocation of the categorical waiver, which requires suite-to-suite separation barriers to be in accordance with proper corridor wall construction described in 18/19.3.6. (see the Frequently Asked Question concerning proper invocation of a Categorical Waiver) [LS.02.01.20]
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