RobertP
GREENHORN
Hi, I have a question about the appropriate occupant load factor to use for a nap room in a commercial childcare/daycare facility with an I-4 classification.
We are a California based childcare facility. We are licensed for around 30 infants (0-2y) and 90 preschoolers (2-5y). The building is a ground level former elementary school with an automatic fire alarm. We have 11 classrooms on our campus, all with exterior access. We’ve been operating since 2015. This year our fire inspector did something new and applied a different load factor to one of our rooms.
Adjacent to an infant classroom we have a 260sf room. This room has one exterior exit and two exits to adjacent rooms, both of which have immediate exterior access. Currently this room is furnished with some cribs and used as a quiet nap/sleep room for up to 6 infants and 1 supervising teacher/caretaker. Our fire inspector recently applied a load factor of 120 instead of 35 to this room, drastically decreasing the occupancy from 7 to 2. He says that is because he is applying the OLF for “institutional sleeping areas” and not daycare or daycare nap rooms because we are an I-4.
My understanding of the definition of an “institutional sleeping area” is that it is how you describe hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, but not daycares. Is there any clearer definition of an institutional sleeping area? Even dormitories have a lower OLF of 50, so we are concerned this is being incorrectly applied. Fire inspector also gave no explanation as to how this room passed inspection with an OLF of 35 for the past 9 years, when nothing about our operations have changed in that time.
We are a California based childcare facility. We are licensed for around 30 infants (0-2y) and 90 preschoolers (2-5y). The building is a ground level former elementary school with an automatic fire alarm. We have 11 classrooms on our campus, all with exterior access. We’ve been operating since 2015. This year our fire inspector did something new and applied a different load factor to one of our rooms.
Adjacent to an infant classroom we have a 260sf room. This room has one exterior exit and two exits to adjacent rooms, both of which have immediate exterior access. Currently this room is furnished with some cribs and used as a quiet nap/sleep room for up to 6 infants and 1 supervising teacher/caretaker. Our fire inspector recently applied a load factor of 120 instead of 35 to this room, drastically decreasing the occupancy from 7 to 2. He says that is because he is applying the OLF for “institutional sleeping areas” and not daycare or daycare nap rooms because we are an I-4.
My understanding of the definition of an “institutional sleeping area” is that it is how you describe hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, but not daycares. Is there any clearer definition of an institutional sleeping area? Even dormitories have a lower OLF of 50, so we are concerned this is being incorrectly applied. Fire inspector also gave no explanation as to how this room passed inspection with an OLF of 35 for the past 9 years, when nothing about our operations have changed in that time.