10A NCAC 13K .1208      HOSPICE INPATIENT rEQUIREMENTS FOR EMERGENCY ELECTRICAL SERVICE

A facility shall provide an emergency electrical service for use in the event of failure of the normal electrical service. This emergency electrical service shall consist of the following:

(1)           In any existing facility:

(a)           type 1 or 2 emergency lights as required by the North Carolina State Building Codes: Electrical Code;

(b)           additional emergency lights for all nurses' stations required by Rule .1205(b)(2) of this Section, medication preparation areas required by Rule .1204(d)(1) of this Section, storage areas, and for the telephone switchboard, if applicable;

(c)           one or more portable battery‑powered lamps at each nurses' station; and

(d)           a source of emergency power for life‑sustaining equipment, if the facility admits or cares for occupants needing such equipment, to ensure continuous operation with on-site fuel storage for a minimum of 72 hours.

(2)           An emergency power generating set, including the prime mover and generator, shall be located on the premises and shall be reserved exclusively for supplying the essential electrical system.

(3)           Emergency electrical services shall be provided as required by the North Carolina State Building Codes: Electric Code with the following modification: Section 517.10(B)(2) of the North Carolina State Building Codes: Electrical Code shall not apply to new facilities.

(4)           The following equipment, devices, and systems that are essential to life safety and the protection of important equipment or vital materials shall be connected to the equipment branch of the essential electrical system as follows:

(a)           nurses' calling system;

(b)           fire pump, if installed;

(c)           sewerage or sump lift pump, if installed;

(d)           one elevator, where elevators are used for vertical transportation of patients;

(e)           equipment such as burners and pumps necessary for operation of one or more boilers and their necessary auxiliaries and controls, required for heating and sterilization, if installed; and

(f)            task illumination of boiler rooms, if applicable.

(5)           The following equipment, devices, and systems that are essential to life safety and the protection of important equipment or vital materials shall be connected to the life safety branch of the essential electrical system as follows:

(a)           alarm system, including fire alarm actuated at manual stations, water flow alarm devices of sprinkler systems if electrically operated, fire detecting and smoke detecting systems, paging or speaker systems if intended for issuing instructions during emergency conditions, and alarms required for nonflammable medical gas systems, if installed; and

(b)           equipment necessary for maintaining telephone service.

(6)           Where electricity is the only source of power normally used for the heating of space, an essential electrical system shall be provided for heating of patient rooms. Emergency heating of patient rooms shall not be required in areas where the facility is supplied by at least two separate generating sources or a network distribution system with the facility feeders so routed, connected, and protected that a fault any place between the generating sources and the facility will not likely cause an interruption of more than one of the facility service feeders.

(7)           An essential electrical system shall be so controlled that after interruption of the normal electric power supply, the generator is brought to full voltage and frequency and connected within 10 seconds through one or more primary automatic transfer switches to all emergency lighting, alarms, and equipment necessary for maintaining telephone service. All other lighting and equipment required to be connected to the essential electrical system shall either be connected through the 10 second primary automatic transfer switching or shall be connected through delayed automatic or manual transfer switching. If manual transfer switching is provided, staff of the facility shall operate the manual transfer switch. Electrical outlets connected to the essential electrical system shall be marked for identification.

(8)           Fuel shall be stored for the operation of the emergency power generator for a period not less than 72 hours, on a 24-hour per day operational basis with on-site fuel storage. The generator system shall be tested and maintained per National Fire Protection Association Health Care Facilities Code, NFPA 99, 2012 edition, which is incorporated by reference, including all subsequent amendments and editions. Copies of this code may be purchased at a cost of seventy-nine dollars and fifty cents ($79.50) from the National Fire Protection Association - online at http://www.nfpa.org/catalog/ or accessed electronically free of charge at

http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCodes.asp?DocNum=99. The facility shall maintain records of the generator system tests and shall make these records available to the Division for inspection upon request.

(9)           The electrical emergency service at existing facilities shall comply with the requirements established in this Rule in effect at the time a license is first issued. Any remodeling of an existing facility that results in changes to the emergency electrical service shall comply with the requirements established in this Rule in effect at the time of remodeling.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 131E‑202;

Eff. June 1, 1991;

Readopted Eff. October 1, 2021.