Fire Response Rules for Prisons

Locked Doors

• According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), correctional, mental and penal facilities enjoy slightly different fire response regulations than other types of workplaces and public places. In general, OSHA requires that all buildings have exit routes that are unblocked by any locked doors or other obstructions to a fast and efficient exit. In the case of mental, penal, or correctional facilities, locked doors may block exit routes as long as supervisory personnel are continuously posted along the exit routes, as necessary, to allow a fast exit response in case of emergency. These guard personnel must be trained in emergency evacuation procedures and prepared to unlock any doors at a moment's notice. In these cases, according to OSHA regulation 1910.36(d)(3), exit route doors may be locked from the inside, given that the facility has an escape plan in place.

Means of Egress

• OSHA requires that all public places and workplaces have a clearly marked, easily navigable means of egress, or exit route, in case of an emergency such as a fire. In the case of a prison, this means of egress must meet all of the criteria for regular workplaces with the exception that locked, guarded doors are permissible in correctional facilities. Otherwise, the facility must have at least two exit routes and as many additional routes as necessary to allow full evacuation in a timely manner. The main exit door of the exit route must remain unlocked and must swing outwards, hinging on the side.

Alarms and Detectors

• Any fire extinguishers, alarms and detectors all undergo regular inspection and testing to ensure their proper functioning as required by OSHA. The precise number of fire extinguishers, alarms and detectors required in a correctional facility varies by state and even locally, according to which version of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) code an area uses as its standard. As part of the emergency readiness training, all guard personnel must be trained and capable of using fire extinguishers as needed.