III. Finding the Home's Evacuation Difficulty Score (Worksheet F-2C).

Vertical Distance from Bedrooms to Exits - This factor concerns the increased risk resulting from resident bedrooms that are located where residents must travel through another floor in order to get outside of the small dwelling.   Certain critical terms are defined as follows:

Direct Exit - means that there is no more than one step between the inside of the dwelling and either (1) ground level outside or (2) a level area outside the dwelling that is at least 32 sq ft (3.0 sq m). This level area might be a porch or a stairway landing. When the vertical distance is greater than one step, a ramp may be used to satisfy this criterion.

Vertical Distance - refers to the greatest number of floors that separates any resident bedroom from its nearest direct exit.

(a) All Bedrooms on Floors with Direct Exits - means that every room where residents sleep is on a floor with at least one direct exit.  Some examples of buildings that fall within this category follow:

(1) A one-story house without bedrooms in the basement, or

(2) A two-story house without bedrooms on the second floor, or

(3) A split-level house with direct exits at each level, or

(4) A two-story house with bedrooms on the second floor that has an exterior stairway from the second floor with a landing at the second floor which is greater than 32 sq ft (3.0 sq m).

(b) Any Bedroom One Floor from Exit - means that there is at least one room where residents sleep where the shortest vertical distance to a direct exit is one floor.  Some examples of buildings that fall within this category follow:

(1) A two-story building with bedrooms on the second floor and/or the basement, or

(1) A one-story house where all the exits have stairs that lead to grade, without a landing, or porch of 32 sq ft (3.0 sq m).

(c) Any Bedroom Two or More Floors from Exit - means that there is at least one room where residents sleep where the shortest vertical distance to a direct exit is two or more floors.  Some examples of buildings that fall within this category follow:

(1) A three-story house with bedrooms on the third floor and no exterior fire escape, or

(2) A three-story house with bedrooms on the third floor and a fire escape, but the landing to the fire escape is less than 32 sq ft (3.0 sq m).

If the board and care home is located in an apartment house and the unit containing the group home requires ascending or descending stairs to go from any bedroom to the exit to the corridor, assign a score of 1.2 for Vertical distance from Bedrooms to Exits. Note: This special scoring of this rare type of apartment is not noted on the Worksheet. In all other apartments, the score for Vertical Distance from Bedrooms to Exits - equals 1