Prior to receiving your foster home license a Fire Inspector will come out for an inspection of your home. Prior to the inspection we will provide you with needed smoke and fire extinguishers. Listed below are items the fire inspector will be looking at:
1. SMOKE ALARMS - a smoke detector shall be installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions in bedrooms used by foster children and in the hallway leading to the bedroom. Please make sure you have fresh batteries in the smoke alarm and it is in good working order.
2. FIRE EXTINGUISHER - a minimum of one fire extinguisher with a minimum classification of 2A-10BC (available locally) shall be located in the cooking area. They cannot be stored or placed in a cabinet or on the floor. They must be mounted on the wall or placed in the kitchen counter, away from the stove. Fire Extinguishers must be serviced and tagged on a yearly basis.
3. FIRE ESCAPE PLAN - a fire escape plan describing what actions are to be taken by your family in the event of a fire must be developed, posted and copies made available to the local fire department. This plan shall note the location of all crib infants.
4. ESCAPE ROUTES - each facility housing foster children shall have two (2) independent means of escape in case of an emergency and shall be noted on the fire escape plan. The escape route should give instruction for family members to meet in the same location such as the mailbox, tree in front yard, etc.
5. ELECTRICAL BOX - please ensure the cover is on your electrical box
6. UNVENTED HEATERS - unvented heaters and/or portable space heaters shall not be used in foster homes.
7. FIRE DRILL - a fire drill shall be conducted every three months. Records of drills shall be maintained to report the time, date, description and evalutaion of each drill. A fire drill shall be conducted within twenty-hour (24) hours of the arrival of each new foster child placed in your home.
NOTE FOR NEW INSPECTIONS ONLY: A room that a foster child will be sleeping in whall have a window sill height of no more than 44 inches from the floor with a window opening of at least five (5) square feet.
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