Safety-wise, are you required to have any/all/some of these?

[Alibi Ike]

• Sprinkler system throughout the inn?
• Closed stairwells
• Hard wired emergency lighting
• Smoke detectors
• CO detectors
• Fire extinguishers
• Emergency exits
• Emergency signage
• Evacuation plan filed with the fire dept/police

Remember, the question is- are you required to have these things. Not asking if you do it on your own.
If there are any other requirements out there, I'd be interested to know.

 

[Joey Camb]

we are required as we are larger to have (12 rooms)
Emergency Lighting, closed stairwells, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, emergency exits, emergency sinage and we have on the back of every door a this is what to do if you hear the fire alarm.
The only trouble is testing the emergency lighting but we had a power cut about two weeks ago and it all came on fab so i was really pleased. I burn stuff in the kitchen now and again so I know the fire alarm works. The fire extinguishers are tested annually, We have to have a note of anyone who would require extra help in a fire.
Also last but not least I don't know what it is called but we had to have a groove routed round every door all 4 sides and put in this kind of tape stuff which if there is a fire in that room it will expand to fill the door frame and contain the fire. It was a complete pain in the bum and we had to have every door off and back on to do it.

 

[muirford]

Required by who? Our county inspectors don't care about any of that - just mattress/pillow protectors, cold refrigerators/freezers and a hot dishwasher. Our state association inspection requires some - smoke detectors, fire extinquishers, and emergency lighting (not hard-wired, though). We have all that. Our state fire law also requires the closed stairwell for emergency egress and we have that. But no one in any authority position has ever asked to inspect for that, or even suggested that they care.

 

[Alibi Ike]

Required by who? Our county inspectors don't care about any of that - just mattress/pillow protectors, cold refrigerators/freezers and a hot dishwasher. Our state association inspection requires some - smoke detectors, fire extinquishers, and emergency lighting (not hard-wired, though). We have all that. Our state fire law also requires the closed stairwell for emergency egress and we have that. But no one in any authority position has ever asked to inspect for that, or even suggested that they care..

Required by a variety of organizations. Our FD in our town requires the sprinkler system, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, smoke detectors.
We just found out that CO detectors are required as of 2009 by the state! No one told us, we found out while buying a smoke detector. I would have thought the state tourism group might have sent out a heads up on that one. We have it, but only one. I need them outside all the bedrooms, which means 5 separate locations the way the building is split up.
We have no state inspectors, either gov or tourist org. Just the town. I was curious if there are other places where it's stricter.

 

[Copperhead]

• Sprinkler system throughout the inn? NO, *
• Closed stairwells NO
• Hard wired emergency lighting NO, but ins. co requires at least plug-ins
• Smoke detectors YES, battery opperated required, hard wired preferred
• CO detectors NO
• Fire extinguishers YES, one for each floor
• Emergency exits 2 forms of egress for upper floors with posting on each door
• Emergency signage NO
• Evacuation plan filed with the fire dept/police NOT sure if required, but we had it

These requirements are via the Fire Dept in order to obtain business license and an inspection is done at that time. They have never darkened the door since but we maintain everything as if they were to knock at any time - good to be safe. Some of the requirements were do to our multi-story home, some were do to our size - 5 guest rooms - larger B&B's have additional requirements, smaller ones (2 or less) have NO requirements. * If I recall we were given 'grandfather's clause' repreve on this, that or it was our size.
Ike - I am not sure if we would get notice of new requirements either. In most areas if new requirements are put in place they give you additional time to become compliant.

 

[egoodell]

• Sprinkler system throughout the inn? No (five rooms or less)
• Closed stairwells No (that's for hotels here)
• Hard wired emergency lighting NO
• Smoke detectors Yes
• CO detectors No
• Fire extinguishers Yes
• Emergency exits Have to have exits designated for emergency - not any special ones though
• Emergency signage no as all rooms are on ground floor
• Evacuation plan filed with the fire dept/police not filed but on the doors

Riki

 

[Innkeep]

• Sprinkler system throughout the inn? No
• Closed stairwells No
• Hard wired emergency lighting No
• Smoke detectors Yes Hardwired to FD (required by state B&B ass'n)
• CO detectors No
• Fire extinguishers Yes (city)
• Emergency exits No but city says beds can't block window (as 2nd floor egress)
• Emergency signage Yes (EXIT signs above obvious doors for city)
• Evacuation plan filed with the fire dept/police No

Our state doesn't differentiate between B&B's of various sizes.

 

[gillumhouse]

Here it depends on the size of the B & B. 3 rooms or less - owner or innkeeper occupied is just a residence per State Code. 4-6 has a lot of OR requires. 7 or more is another categoty. Forgot to add WV State Fire code requires 2 exits. The ORs i alluded to are: immediate access to the outside from the room (one member has sleeping porches and another balcony so they are legal) OR 2 interior staircases (ie the old mansions had maids staircase and main staircase) OR speinklers OR an outside COVERED staircase to ground accessed by a door accessible to eveyone on that floor (second floor only). IF there are guestrooms on the third floor the outside staircase is required but if the innkeeper resides on the third floor - no requirement.Our cities and counties rubber stamp the State Codes for the most part. If they do anything, it is to make it more strict.
Our Association REQUIRES - hard-wried (plug-in emergency lights are hard-wired because power goes off, they come on), smoke detectors, fire extinguishers

• Sprinkler system throughout the inn?
• Closed stairwells
• Hard wired emergency lighting
• Smoke detectors
• CO detectors
• Fire extinguishers
• Emergency exits
• Emergency signage
• Evacuation plan filed with the fire dept/police

 

[Samster]

• Sprinkler system throughout the inn? no
• Closed stairwells no
• Hard wired emergency lighting no
• Smoke detectors yes - hard wired, with battery back-up
• CO detectors yes - if there is gas heating or gas water heaters
• Fire extinguishers yes - per floor and for each kitchen
• Emergency exits no
• Emergency signage no
• Evacuation plan filed with the fire dept/police no

Most has to do with number of guest rooms & license as a B&B Inn - we had 5 guest rooms. These were requirements for our Certificate of Occupancy with the City Department of Inspections and Codes which was required in order to get a B&B Inn license from the City Department of Revenue. There was nothing in the code book to tell us these things, the Inspector informed us but they were also already in place when he came to inspect (along with other things you didn't list).
We went above the requirements by providing emergency plug-in lighting and an escape plan in our room books. For me, some of it had to do with thinking about what I would want to know if I was a guest and a dash of common sense.