Opinions & Applications for the Fire Code (1997 edition) (revoked November 21, 2007)

2.8.2.2. INSTITUTIONAL OCCUPANCIES

2.8.2.2. "There shall be sufficient supervisory staff available in institutional occupancies to carry out the duties as required in the fire safety plan."
Intent:
An occupancy where persons are harboured or detained to receive medical care or treatment or where persons are involuntarily detained shall be provided with adequate supervisory staff to assist in the fire safety duties as specified in the Fire Safety Plan. The duties would include, among other things, assisting in the moving of harboured or detained persons to zones of refuge, prior to their removal from the building. The intent is not to specify staff/patient ratios, but to ensure that adequate numbers of staff can be made available to effect safe evacuation of the area of concern under all anticipated credible scenarios.

Other Resources:

NFPA 101; Homes for Special Care Act; Nursing Home Act; Homes for the Aged and Rest Homes Act; Fire Safety Guidelines for Homes for the Aged, Nursing Homes and Hospitals.

Application:

Q1 What number of supervisory staff is considered sufficient?

A1 The Fire Code does not specify an exact number. Although earlier versions of fire safety documents provided an absolute number (e.g. the 1980 National Fire Code specified at least 1 staff member on duty for every 15 patients), more current and progressive thinking acknowledges that the actual number can be expected to vary from facility to facility. Numerous factors may affect the staffing requirements for fire emergency response. Some of these factors include:

- the degree of assistance required for occupant evacuation

- the number of occupants that require evacuation

- building construction and fire protection features to control the spread of fire

- level of staff training

- other actions required of staff within the Fire Safety Plan.

In the case of health care facilities, the higher the number of patients that require significant assistance for evacuation, the higher the demand on the staff. For purposes of medical services, it is generally true that the staff ratio increases are based on medical needs of the patients. Since there is some correlation between the degree of medical care and the degree of assistance during a fire emergency, this has traditionally provided some assurance that adequate staff are available for emergency response.

The variability within the above factors does not allow for a uniform ratio of supervisory staff to patients in all institutional facilities for purposes of emergency response (see also A2).

Q2 How many supervisory staff are sufficient in a hospital?

A2 A rational and detailed analysis for the facility consistent with national and provincial codes should be used to determine staffing levels. This analysis should address all fire safety plan issues, not just the staffing requirements.

For instance, the Fire Safety Plan should include information identifying a number of probable fire scenarios based on building use and physical conditions. The scenarios should consider varying conditions throughout a 24 hour cycle. In an active care hospital, a probable scenario might involve evacuation of the operating rooms and recovery suites involving a large number of patients on life support or other critical medical treatment. Such suites are typically idle at night and thus a different scenario would need to be identified for the night shift. This may be a group of rooms or other suites where patients could reasonably be in jeopardy from a single fire source.

The staffing needs required to effect evacuation in each of the identified scenarios would need to be identified. This number, together with additional staff that may be required to carry out other duties under the Fire Safety Plan, would form the basis for the minimum number of staff required on each shift.

The probable scenarios may also be utilized by the owner to provide appropriate staff training. The Fire Safety Plan should take into account the staff training necessary to effect a proper response on each shift.

Q3 Who must be supervisory staff?

A3 The Fire Code does not mandate specific individuals for this role. There must be effective utilization of human resources within a building to deal with the emergency planning issues described in Section 2.8.

For instance, supervisory staff in a healthcare facility (B-2 occupancy) would typically be comprised of medical and nursing staff, attendants and building maintenance personnel. In high security institutions (B-1 occupancy) supervisory staff would consist mainly of guards and the warden's staff.