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.

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.