Standards for fire
protection and the enforcement thereof, with respect to all
hospitals to be licensed hereunder shall be the responsibility of
the chief of the Washington state patrol, through the director of
fire protection, who shall adopt, after approval by the
department, the recognized standards applicable to hospitals for
the protection of life against the cause and spread of fire and
fire hazards adopted by the federal centers for medicare and
medicaid services for hospitals that care for medicare or
medicaid beneficiaries. The standards used for an inspection of
an existing hospital, or existing portion thereof, shall be
standards for existing buildings and not standards for new
construction. The department upon receipt of an application for
a license, shall submit to the director of fire protection in
writing, a request for an inspection, giving the applicant's name
and the location of the premises to be licensed. Upon receipt of
such a request, the chief of the Washington state patrol, through
the director of fire protection, or his or her deputy, shall make
an inspection of the hospital to be licensed during the
department's inspection. If it is found that the premises do not
comply with the required safety standards and fire regulations as
adopted pursuant to this chapter, the director of fire
protection, or his or her deputy, shall promptly make a written
report to the department listing the corrective actions required.
The department shall incorporate the written report into the
department's final inspection report. The applicant or licensee
shall submit corrections to comply with the fire protection
standards along with any other licensing inspection corrections
to the department. The department shall submit the section of
the statement of corrections from the applicant or licensee
regarding fire protection standards to the director of fire
protection. If extensive and serious corrections are required,
the director of fire protection, or his or her deputy, may
reinspect the premises. The director of fire protection, or his
or her deputy, shall utilize the scope and severity matrix
developed by the centers for medicare and medicaid services when
determining what corrections will require a reinspection.
Whenever the hospital to be licensed meets with the approval of
the chief of the Washington state patrol, through the director of
fire protection, he or she shall submit to the department, in a
timely manner so the license will not be delayed, a written
report approving the hospital with respect to fire protection,
and such report is required before a full license can be issued.
The chief of the Washington state patrol, through the director of
fire protection, shall make or cause to be made inspections of
such hospitals on average at least once every eighteen months.
Inspections conducted by the joint commission on hospitals
accredited by it shall be deemed equivalent to an inspection by
the chief of the Washington state patrol, through the director of
fire protection, for purposes of meeting the requirements for the
inspections specified in this section.
The director of fire protection shall designate one lead
deputy state fire marshal on a regional basis to provide
consistency with each of the department's survey teams for the
purpose of conducting the fire protection inspection during the
department's licensing inspection. The director of fire
protection shall ensure deputy state fire marshals are provided
orientation with the department on the unique environment of
hospitals before they conduct fire protection inspections in
hospitals. The orientation shall include, but not be limited to:
Clinical environment of hospitals; operating room environment;
fire protection practices in hospitals; full participation in a
complete licensing inspection of at least one urban hospital; and
full participation in a complete licensing inspection of at least
one rural hospital.
In cities which have in force a comprehensive building code,
the provisions of which are determined by the chief of the
Washington state patrol, through the director of fire protection,
to be equal to the minimum standards of the code for hospitals
adopted by the chief of the Washington state patrol, through the
director of fire protection, the chief of the fire department,
provided the latter is a paid chief of a paid fire department,
shall make the inspection with the chief of the Washington state
patrol, through the director of fire protection, or his or her
deputy and they shall jointly approve the premises before a full
license can be issued.
[2008 c 155 § 1; 2004 c 261 § 3; 1995 c 369 § 40; 1986 c 266 § 94; 1985 c 213 § 19; 1955 c 267 § 8.]
NOTES:
Effective date -- 1995 c 369: See note following RCW 43.43.930.
Severability -- 1986 c 266: See note following RCW 38.52.005.
Savings -- Effective date -- 1985 c 213: See notes following RCW 43.20.050.
State fire protection: Chapter 43.44 RCW.