(a) Except as provided in Section 18930, the State Fire Marshal, with the advice of the State Board of Fire Services, shall prepare and adopt regulations establishing minimum standards for the prevention of fire and for the protection of life and property against fire in any building or structure used or intended for use as a home or institution for the housing of any person of any age when such person is referred to or placed within such home or institution for protective social care and supervision services by any governmental agency. The State Fire Marshal shall adopt and submit building standards for approval pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 18935) of Part 2.5 of Division 13 for the purposes described in this section. Occupancies within the meaning of this subdivision shall be those not otherwise specified in Sections 13113 and 13143 and shall include, but are not limited to, those commonly referred to as âcertified family care homes,â âout-of-home placement facilities,â and âhalfway houses.â Building standards relating to fire and panic safety published in the State Building Standards Code and other regulations adopted pursuant to this subdivision shall establish minimum requirements relating to the means of egress and the adequacy of exits, the installation and maintenance of fire extinguishing and fire alarm systems, the storage, handling, or use of combustible or flammable materials or substances, and the installation and maintenance of appliances, equipment, decorations, and furnishings that may present a fire, explosion, or panic hazard. Such minimum requirements shall be predicated on the height, area, and fire-resistive qualities of the building or structure used or intended to be used. Any building or structure within the scope of this subdivision used or intended to be used for the housing of more than six nonambulatory persons shall have installed and maintained in proper operating condition an automatic sprinkler system approved by the State Fire Marshal. âNonambulatory person,â as used in this section, means nonambulatory person as defined in Section 13131. The ambulatory or nonambulatory status of any developmentally disabled person within the scope of this subdivision shall be determined by the Director of Social Services or his or her designated representative, in consultation with the Director of Developmental Services or his or her designated representative. Any building or structure within the scope of this subdivision used or intended to be used for the housing of more than six ambulatory persons shall have installed or maintained in proper operating condition an automatic fire alarm system approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal which will respond to products of combustion other than heat. In preparing and adopting regulations pursuant to this subdivision, the State Fire Marshal shall give reasonable consideration to the continued use of existing buildingsâ housing occupancies established prior to March 4, 1972. In preparing and adopting regulations pursuant to this subdivision, the State Fire Marshal shall also secure the advice of the appropriate governmental agencies involved in the affected protective social care programs in order to provide compatibility and maintenance of operating programs in this state. Any governmental agency that refers any person to, or causes his or her placement in, any home or institution subject to this section shall, within seven days after the referral or placement, request verification of conformance to the fire safety standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to this section from the fire authority having jurisdiction pursuant to Sections 13145 and 13146. Any referral or placement in homes or institutions subject to this section shall be subject to rescission if the fire authority having jurisdiction subsequently informs the governmental agency that it is unable to give the requested verification. Whe
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