Fire Protection Research Foundation report: "Evaluating Occupant Load Factors for Ambulatory Health Care Facilities”
March 2015 report (PDF), Kristin Steranka and William E. Koffel, P.E., FSFPE, Koffel Associates, Inc.
April 2014 report (PDF), Javier Cuesta and Daniel Alvear, GIDAI Group, University of Cantabria (Spain)
Introduction
During the last cycle for NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, a need was identified for supportable occupant load factors for ambulatory health care facilities. The Technical Committee on Health Care Occupancies did not feel that the factors for patient treatment areas in health care facilities were appropriate.
Accordingly, the Foundation undertook two separate efforts on this issue with the objective to provide data on occupant loading in ambulatory health care facilities to the Technical Committee. The first was completed in spring of 2014 by the University of Cantabria with data from Spain. The second effort was undertaken by Koffel Associates undertook a project to collect data in the US.
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