AGING AND DISABILITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

September 23, 1999

Dear Boarding Home Providers: AASA: BH #99-017

This letter is to remind you of the meeting on October 1, 1999, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM in room #117 of the Labor and Industries Building in Tumwater, Washington, to answer questions about grants for retrofitting boarding homes with fire sprinklers. This meeting was first announced in a letter dated September 3, 1999. A map to the Labor and Industries Building is enclosed for your use.

There is currently no statewide requirement to retrofit all boarding homes with fire sprinklers. However, Washington Administrative Code 388-78A0335 requires all
dementia care units in boarding homes to install fire sprinklers by January 1, 2000. While Aging and Disability Services Administration is reviewing this requirement, operators of dementia care units should be mindful that this is a current requirement, and develop plans accordingly. Additionally, the King County Council has passed an ordinance to require fire sprinklers in all boarding homes in unincorporated King County by 2004. And finally and most importantly, it is commonly agreed that fire sprinklers are the best method for reducing the likelihood of serious injury or death to residents in the event of a fire.

If you have any questions regarding the October 1, 1999 meeting, or if you need a copy of the September 3, 1999 letter, please call Jeff Hugdahl, Contracts Manager, at (360)407-0922 or Maria Hug, Chief of Support Services at (360) 407-7565.

Sincerely,

Mary Corso Patricia Lashway, Director
State Fire Marshal Residential Care Services

Enclosure

cc: Roger Woodside, Assistant State Fire Marshal
Maria Hug, Chief, Support Services, Aging and Disability Services
Jeff Hugdahl, Contracts, Aging and Disability Services