AUTHORITY The following rules and regulations for the - Arkansas ...

or bottom of the stairway. Existing facilities will be required to have solid core doors with
closures to keep smoke from spreading between floors.
6. Properly charged ABC type fire extinguishers at five (5) pounds in weight must be placed no
more than five (5) feet above the floor. Fire extinguishers must be checked annually.
7. Properly charged fire extinguishers must be placed at easily accessible locations on each floor or
wing.
8. Drills must be held quarterly in which residents and employees participate. Employees shall be
trained in the means of rapidly evacuating the building through use of fire drills. A written
record of the drill must be maintained by each facility.
9. Tornado drills must be conducted annually and documented.
10. Residents and staff must be notified that smoking is permitted only in designated areas and such
restrictions shall be enforced.
11. No resident shall occupy any portion of the third or higher floors of any combustible building.
This does not apply to facilities licensed before the effective date of these regulations, except that
any modification, alteration or additions made after the effective date of these regulations must
satisfy the criteria in effect at the time the modification, alteration or addition is placed into
service.
12. Emergency lights and exit signs:
b. Battery operated emergency light units must be provided for hallways and stairwells.
Facilities licensed for five (5) beds or less are excluded from this requirement;
c. Illuminated exit signs must be provided at the location of each exit door. Facilities
licensed for five (5) beds or less are excluded from this requirement.
13. Interior and exterior stairways must have handrails.
14. Steam or heating pipes with which residents or staff come in contact must be covered to prevent
injury or burns.
15. Grab bars must be provided in resident bathrooms for toilets, tubs and showers. Bathtubs must
be equipped with non-slip surfaces.
16. In facilities licensed after September 1985, bedrooms must have direct access to an exit corridor.
Access to toilet and bathing areas shall not be through another resident's room.
17. In all facilities, access to bedroom areas must not be through toilet or bathing areas.
18. Any practices or equipment which creates a fire hazard are prohibited, including:
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Residential Care Facilities R. 08/01/07