Group Homes for the Developmentally

Disabled: Case Histories of

Demographics, Household Activities,

and Room Use

A. M. Ramey-Smith

J. V. Fechter

Consumer Sciences Division

Center for Consumer Product Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

October 1978

Final Report

Issued April 1979

Prepared for the Center for Fire Research, in support of; HEW-NBS Fire/Life Safety Program

Sponsored by:

Rehabilitation Services Administration, Office of Human

Development Services

)epartment of Health, Education and Welfare

—QC ""Vashington, D.C. 20203

100

.056

79-1727

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NBSIR 79-M27

B « * GROUP HOMES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY

DISABLED: CASE HISTORIES OF

DEMOGRAPHICS, HOUSEHOLD ACTIVITIES,

AND ROOM USE

NaHMal BtrMt tf WAV Z 2

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C .

A. M. Ramey-Smith

J. V. Fechter

Consumer Sciences Division

Center for Consumer Product Technology

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

October 1978

Final Report

Issued April 1979

Prepared for the Center for Fire Research, in support of: HEW-NBS Fire/Life Safety Program

Sponsored by;

Rehabilitation Services Administration, Office of Human

Development Services

Department of Health, Education and Welfare

Washington, D.C. 20203

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Juanita M. Kreps, Secretary

Jordan J. Baruch. Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Director
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Table of Contents

Page

Acknowledgments

List of Tables V

Abstract vii

Introduction 1

Developmental Disabilities Defined 2

Deinstitutionalization and Normalization 3

Procedure 3

Results 5

Description of Group Homes 5

Demographic Information on Group Home Staff .... 7

Resident Characteristics-Demographics 7

Resident Characteristics-Adaptive Behavior Scale . . 7

Room Use 13

Resident Activities 15

Appliance Usage by Residents 17

Fire Incidents 17

Fire Drill Observations 19

Summary 21

References 24

Appendices A-I —Summary Data, Floor Plans, and Photographs 25

Appendix A—North Carolina Group Home 26

Appendix B —Washington A Group Home 30

Appendix C —Wisconsin Group Home 34

Appendix D —Florida Group Home 38

Appendix E —New York Group Home 41

Appendix F —Georgia Group Home 45

Appendix G—Washington B Group Home 4 8

Appendix H—Minnesota Group Home 52

Appendix I —Iowa Group Home 56

Appendix J —Sample Room Use and Activities Checklist for 59

for Nine Half Hour Time Blocks

1
11
Acknowledgments

The staff of nine group homes volunteered to participate

in this study. Although they shall remain anonymous to

respect the privacy of their residents, we offer our sincere

appreciation to all the staff involved in supplying the data

and to the administrators who allowed the group homes to

participate. V7ithout the cooperation and patience of these

individuals, this investigation would not have been possible.

Thanks also to Jennifer Gagnon, Barbara Stanton, and

James Cole whose assistance in data reduction was invaluable

in the preparation of this report. And lastly, thanks to

Kim Leaman and Bonnie Matteson for their secretarial support.

iii
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List of Tables

Page

1 Description of Group Homes

2 Demographic Information on Group Home Staff . . .

3 Demographic Characteristics of Group Home Residents

4 AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale, Part I, Average Percentile Ranks, Ranges, and Medians by Group Home .

5 AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale, Part II, Average Percentile Ranks, Ranges, and Medians by Group Home .

6 Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each

Room

7 Percentage of Total Person Hours of Activity

Occurrences

8 Evacuation Times of Observed Fire Drills

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VI
Abstract

This document is the final report to the National

Bureau of Standards * Center for Fire Research as part of

their support to the Office of Human Development Services

of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

The major objective of the present study is to provide

data necessary for the development of life safety codes

appropriate for group homes for the developmentally disabled. Survey techniques were used to compile summary

data on residents' room use and activities, characteristics of the group home facilities, and demographics of

the supervisors and residents. Data are presented for

room use and activities of developmentally disabled

residents and these data are compared to results available

for the normal population. Recommendations are presented

regarding fire safety for developmentally disabled residents of group homes.

vii
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Introduction

The major objective of the present study is to provide

data necessary for the development of life safety codes

appropriate for group homes for the developmentally disabled.

The current trend in housing of the developmentally disabled is away from institutions and toward community-based

group homes. Hence, appropriate fire protection for these

homes has become a major consideration of life safety

professionals. Due to budget constraints which exist

within organizations operating group homes, it is important

that "excessive" fire protection not be mandated. Also,

fire protection features detract from the desired home-like

ambiance. In order to determine what constitutes appropriate

fire protection, it is necessary to determine what the capabilities and activities of developmentally disabled residents

are and how the developmentally disabled differ from the

normal population. With this information, safety codes

may then be modified so that the developmentally disabled

are not exposed to a level of risk thought unreasonable by

code writers and regulators. The present study was performed

to obtain case history information on a sample of group

homes for the developmentally disabled.

Historically, developmental disabilities have been

poorly understood. In 1672, Thomas Willis provided one

of the first classification systems of mental deficiency.

"Some being holy fools in the learning of letters,

of the liberal sciences, are yet able enough for

the mechanical arts. Others, of either of these

incapable, yet easily comprehend agriculture or

husbandry and country business. Others, unfit

almost for all affairs are only able to learn what

belongs to eating or the common means of living;

others, merely dolts or driveling fools, scarce

understand anything at all, or do anything knowingly."

(Cranefield, 1961)

Since that first attempt at defining mental retardation,

a better understanding has been achieved of this and other

disabilities considered developmental in nature. Evidence

of this better understanding of developmental disabilities

is the Developmentally Disabled Assistance and Bill of Rights

Act of 1975 (P.L. 94103) . This law defines developmental

disability as a disability which:

" (A) (i) is attributable to mental retardation

cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or autism; (ii) is

attributable to any other condition of a person
found to be closely related to mental retardation

because such condition results in similar impairment

of general intellectual functioning or adaptive

behavior to that of mentally retarded persons or

requires treatment and services similar to those

required for such persons; or (iii) is attributable

to dyslexia resulting from a disability described in

Clause (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph; (B) originates before such person attains age eighteen; (C) has

continued or can be expected to continue indefinitely;

and (D) constitutes a substantial handicap to such

person's ability to function normally in society."

[P.L. 94-103, Section 102(7)]1

Many cerebral palsied and epileptic individuals are

not necessarily developmentally disabled. This Act includes

only those cerebral palsied and epileptic individuals with

impairment of intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior

resulting in a substantial handicap to normal functioning

in society. Dyslexia was also named in P.L. 94-103, but

"since it is limited to those who are also considered under

mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and/or autism,

it is, in effect, excluded as a separate category." (Overboe

and Wang, 1978, pg. 2)

For the benefit of those readers unfamiliar with the

four developmental disabilities (mental retardation, autism,

epilepsy, and cerebral palsy) , brief definitions of each

of the developmental disabilities are presented below.

A detailed description of the specific disorders resulting

from these conditions is provided in Overboe and Wang (1978)

Developmental Disabilities Defined

Mental Retardation "...significantly subaverage general

intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits

in adaptive behavior, and manifested during the developmental

period." (Grossman, 1977) Mental retardation is usually

divided into four levels—mild, moderate, severe, and profound (Overboe and Wang, 1978)

Ip.L. 95-602 (November, 1978) redefines "developmentally disabled"

by functional impairment, deleting references to etiological categories

of disability. The new definition of DD is; "a severe, chronic

disability of a person which (a) is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments; (b)

is manifested before the person attains age twenty-two; (c) is likely

to continue indefinitely; (d) results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity;

(1) self-care, (2) receptive and expressive language, (3) learning,

(4) mobility, (5) self-direction, (6) capacity for independent living,

and (7) economic self-sufficiency; and (e) reflects the person's

need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary,

or generic care, treatment, or other services which are of lifelong

or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated.
Autism "...a behaviorally defined syndrome. The essential

features are typically manifested prior to 30 months of age

and include disturbance of (1) developmental rates and/or

sequences, (2) responses to sensory stimuli, (3) speech,

language, and cognitive capacities, and (4) capacities to

relate to people, events, and objects." (Overboe and Wang,

1978, p. 32) "It is probably the most severely handicapping

condition of the developmental disabilities." (ibid, p. 39)

Epilepsy "...a disorder of the central nervous system marked

by sudden and periodic lapses of consciousness (seizures) and

unusual electrical discharges within the brain. ...The three

major seizure classifications are (1) petit mal, (2) grand

mal, and (3) psychomotor." (Keller, 1977)

Cerebral Palsy "The primary manifestation of the condition

is a deficit in motor functioning. One or more of the

following may be present: posture disorders, awkward and

involuntary movements, poor balance, gait irregularities,

muscle tightness, and speech or articulation problems.

(Overboe and Wang, 1978, p. 15)

Deinstitutionalization and Normalization

As mentioned previously, the current trend in housing

of the developmentally disabled is away from institutions

and toward community-based housing. Deinstitutionalization

involves the "return to the community of all residents

who have been prepared through programs of habilitation

and training to function adequately in appropriate local

settings." (Paul, Stedman, and Neufeld (eds.), 1977, p.3)

Nirje (1976) views an appropriate local setting as embracing

the normalization principle. According to Nirje, "the

normalization principle means making available to all mentally

retarded people patterns of life and conditions of everyday

living which are as close as possible to the regular circumstances and ways of life of society. . . .Normalization

also means that if retarded persons cannot or should not

any longer live in their family or own home, the homes

provided should be of normal size and situated in normal

residential areas, being neither isolated nor larger than

is consistent with regular mutually respectful or disinterested social interaction and integration." (Nirje, 1976,

p. 231-232) The present study describes a sample of such

homes and the characteristics of their developmentally

disabled residents.

Procedure

Case history information was obtained from a sample of

nine group homes for the developmentally disabled. The

homes selected to participate in the study were chosen to

provide variability within each of the following parameters:

3
location—including geographical location, rural

versus urban setting, and city size;

resident population characteristics —including

resident population size and developmental

disability representation;

dwelling type —that is, single-family unit, apartment building, etc.; and,

resident independence—based on supervisor availability

and resident responsibility.

The data reported in this document were obtained from

1) on-site observations at each group home; and, 2) information provided by the supervisors and staff of the homes.

Data provided by personnel of the group homes can be divided

into eight categories:

1. Description of Group Homes —including funding,

number and sex of residents, dwelling type,

floor plan, remodeling, heating system, and

unique features;

2 . Demographic Information on Group Home Staff —

including number, age, sex, education, and staff

scheduling;

3. Resident Characteristics-Demographics —including

chronological age, mental age/level, number of

years institutionalized, and disabilities;

4 . Resident Characteristics-Adaptive Behavior Scale—

residents' test scores for the AAMD Adaptive

Behavior Scale;

5. Room Use—number of residents in each room of the

group home, recorded every 30 minutes, night and

day, for one continuous week;

6. Resident Activities—type of activities that

occurred and the number of residents that were

involved, recorded every 30 minutes for one

continuous week;

7. Appliance Usage by Residents —a listing of

electrical appliances within the group homes

that residents use; and,

8. Fire Incidents —summaries of any fire incidents

which had occurred in the group home.

A
During on-site visits to the group homes, discussions were

held with supervisors and administrators regarding the tasks

to be completed by them. The ninth category of data reported

here is the Fire Drill Observations made by the authors

during on-site visits.

Results

Data gleaned from the on-site visits and those supplied

by the group home staffs are presented in this section. In

order to facilitate use of this report by readers interested

in particular segments of the data collected, each type

of data collected is reported separately regarding the

procedures used, the results achieved, and the conclusions

and inferences drawn.

Description of Group Homes

Staff of the nine group homes sampled provided information describing the group homes with regard to geographical

location, type of funding, number of residents, type of

dwelling, remodeling done, heating system present, and

any unique physical features. A summary of these characteristics are presented in Table 1. An inspection of Table 1

illustrates the cross-section of attributes that can be

expected to exist among group homes for the developmentally

disabled.

Generally, little in the physical structures and interiors

of the group homes differentiated them from normal dwellings.

Consequently, architectural design itself imposes no more

fire hazard than normal homes. The differences which do

exist are due primarily to features added to the group

homes (such as fire escapes and sprinkler systems) in order

to comply with mandatory local codes. Group homes housing

physically handicapped residents also have devices such

as hand rails and ramps, not generally found in normal

homes. Floor plans and pictures of the group homes sampled

are presented in Appendices A through I.

Structures which are presently being used as group

homes can be reasonably predicted to vary greatly in terms

of the attributes presented in Table 1. Fire safety professionals interested in creating a special section of the

life safety code that reflects the unique needs of this

population should consider the feasibility of implementing

each suggestion in light of the wide variety of structures

existing.

5
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Demographic Information on Group Home Staff

Group home staff provided information on the number,

age, sex, education level, and availability of supervisors.

As shown in Table 2, there is a wide range of ages and

formal education among supervisors in the sample of nine

group homes. In each home, supervisors are available during

times when residents are in the facility. Without exception,

the supervisors expressed their commitment to create and

maintain a home-like environment conducive to the development

of the individual residents. However, they also felt that

with the trend towards an increased number of community -based

group homes, it is possible that people working in group

homes will have more limited experience with the developmentally disabled. For both present and future group homes,

concern exists for training of staff in fire safety itself

and teaching residents fire safety and evacuation; no widely

accepted training requirements now exist.

Resident Character istics-Demographics

Capabilities of developmentally disabled residents

vary greatly among visited group homes. While some facilities

house "cream of the crop" residents, others accomodate

those more severely disabled, both mentally and physically.

Table 3 summarizes data provided on residents' characteristics,

including: chronological age, mental age/level, number

of years institutionalized, and types of disabilities.

Future research should address the correlation between

intellectual functioning and successful fire evacuation.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that a linear relationshio

cannot be described by IQ and successful evacuation behavior.

One group home supervisor offered that "in our experience

residents who are less successful in evacuating are those

which fall on the extreme ends...; that is, both very high

and very low residents." With an increasingly large number

of residents expected to come to group homes directly from

the community (where little fire evacuation training usually

occurs) rather than from institutions (where evacuation

training is generally emphasized) , fire evacuation training

in group homes will become more crucial.

Resident Characteristics-Adaptive Behavior Scale

The American Association on Mental Deficiency (AAMD)

Adaptive Behavior Scale (Nihira, Foster, Shellhaas, and

Leland, 1975) was used as an index of adaptive behavior

of the residents of the group homes in this sample. McDevitt

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p -P 0) 10 0) £ O <0

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and McDevitt/ 1977, provide a discussion of what the AAMD

Adaptive Behavior Scale is and some limitations on its

effectiveness. They state that;

"Adaptive behavior is operationally defined by

110 behavioral items that reflect environmental

demands placed upon mentally retarded individuals

in personal and social functioning. The scale is

divided into two parts. Part I was designed to

assess 10 behavior domains considered important

in the development of independence in daily living.

Part II deals with the frequency of inappropriate

behavior exhibited by the individual . Both are

scored as norm-referenced tests, with decile

ratings based upon a standardization sample of

mentally retarded persons grouped by age...

Several deficiencies in the design of the Adaptive

Behavior Scale, Part II, ...seriously limit its

effectiveness in some clinical and research

applications... Unlike Part I where the standardization data appear roughly to approximate a normal

distribution, scores for Part II are markedly

skewed. . . Both the spurious elevation of profiles

and the lack of sensitivity of decile rankings to

extreme maladaptiveness present major difficulties

in interpretation... Differences in severity of

maladaptiveness are ignored. An individual who

receives ratings for many kinds of mildly

inappropriate behavior will have a higher score

than the individual who is rated on one or more

kinds of severely anti-social behavior." (p. 210-211)

Staff of the group homes were provided with copies of the

AAMD Test Booklet (1974) which they administered to the

residents in their respective homes. Although data are

presented below in Tables 4 and 5 for Part I and Part II,

considerable care should be taken in interpreting the

results for Part II. The variability of scores indicates

the wide range of capabilities in the nine different group

homes. It can be assumed then that residents of group homes

covered under a revised life safety code will run the full

gamut of adaptive behavior capabilities.

The relationship between adaptive behavior scores and

successful fire evacuation is unclear. Preliminary data on

evacuation times during fire drills indicate short evacuation

times regardless of adaptive behavior scores. However, the

correlation between responses during fire drills and actual

fire emergencies is unknown. In addition, data do not exist

to allow comparisons of group home evacuations to evacuations

10
GROUP

HOME

INDEPENDENT

PHYSICAL

ECONOMIC

LANGUAGE

NUMBERS

DOMESTIC

VOCATIONAL

SELFRESPONSIBILITY

SOCIALIZATION

FUNCTIONING

DEVELOPMENT

ACTIVITY

DEVELOPMENT

5

TIME

ACTIVITY

ACTIVITY

DIRECTION

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cd < PQ •H

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*The

higher

the

percentile

score,

the

more

acceptable

the

behavior

exhibited.

**A11

residents

ranked

in

the

99th

percentile.
AAMD

Adaptive

Behavior

Scale,

Part

II

Average

Percentile

Ranks,

Ranges,

and

Medians

by

Group

Home*

*The

higher

the

percentile

score,

the

more

unacceptable

the

behavior

exhibited
of normal homes. Persons considering life safety codes

are in the best position to decide whether a "worst case"

or "average case" approach should be taken when considering

safety codes in which adaptive behavior plays an important

role

.

Room Use

Staff of the group homes recorded resident room use

information according to a pre-arranged format. Forms used

in recording data are illustrated in Appendix J.

Room use data for each of the nine group homes are

presented individually and averaged across homes in Table

6. Percentages are based on person-hours, where personhours equal the number of residents occupying each room of

the group home multiplied by the hours of occupancy. The

percentages were computed by dividing the number of personhours reported by the total possible person-hours for the

seven-day reporting period.

Room usage data for a sample of eleven JapaneseAmerican families which included no developmentally disabled

members are also reported in Table 6 . These data are presented here so that room use of developmentally disabled residents of group homes may be compared to a sample of the

normal population. Although Kimura ' s (1970) sample was

small and involves a particular ethnic segment of the normal

population, her study provides the only known data on room

use by normal families.

Kimura reported the percentages of time during which

various rooms in a house were used. Bedrooms were used for

the largest percentage of time (49.7%), followed by the

living rooms and family rooms (12.3%), kitchens (7.6%),

bathrooms (3.2%), dining rooms (2.0%), recreation rooms

(1.3%), and laundry rooms (0.4%). Residents were outside

the dwellings 20.6% of the time.

As compared to Kimura' s data on normal families,

developmentally disabled residents of the group homes studied

here tended to have more limited use of the kitchen since

meals are often prepared by staff members. When kitchen

and dining room use are combined, residents occupy this

area about the same percentage of time as normal families.

Group home residents spend more time outside the dwelling

(assuming that the percentage of time for which activities

are not recorded in the present study is due to activities

outside the group home) . The implication of these comparisons for safety code development seems to be that, based

13
Percentage

of

Total

Person

Hours

of

Use

for

Each

Room

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14

Minnesota

facility

hasa

combined

living

and

dining

room.

Does

not

include

data

from

Georgia

since

that

facility

hasa

separate

dining

hall

where

residents

eat

lunch

and

dinner.
on the limited samples involved, residents of group homes

and residents of normal households do not differ appreciably

in their use of rooms within the respective households.

Room use data indicate that, generally, the entire home

is used by group home residents. Extra fire protection

for any particular room may be appropriate only for sleep

areas since both normal and developmentally disabled individuals are at greatest risk v/hile sleeping.

Resident Activities

Group home staff recorded resident activities at the

same times and on the same forms as they recorded room use

by residents. (Refer to Appendix J) The activities noted

were coded into nine categories as follows:

® sleeping

® eating

® sedentary leisure activities—including watching

TV, playing cards, listening to radio, reading,

talking, using the phone, passive games, sitting,

waiting, smoking, and resting

° active leisure activities —including ping pong,

walking, exercising, pool, and active games

® personal care—including using the bathroom,

showering, shampooing, dressing, grooming,

and taking medication

® food preparation—including preparing meals

or snacks

® kitchen chores—including doing dishes, cleaning

counters, clearing or setting tables, and

storing groceries

® household chores —including straightening,

dusting, vacuuming, washing, putting away or

folding clothes, doing laundry

® other—including outdoor chores, employment,

school, or recreation.

Resident activity summaries are presented separately by

group home and collectively across the sample in Table 7

Percentages are calculated as noted for Table 6. Note that

15
Percentage

of

Total

Person

Hours

of

Activity

Occurences

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Does

not

include

data

from

Georgia

since

that

facility

hasa

separate

dining

hall

where

residents

eat

lunch
the "Outside Living Unit" values in Table 6 and the "Other"

values in Table 7 were calculated independently and minor

differences exist.

Kimura ' s (1970) data are also included in Table 7.

Compared to the present study, Kimura ' s data were broken down

into more discrete categories. For purposes of comparison,

then, the "Eating" category for the present study is compared

to Kimura ' s combined eating and snacking categories. "Sedentary Activities" is comparable to Kimura ' s categories of

hobbies, study, leisure, reading, resting, TV viewing, interaction, telephone, and religious activities. "Active Leisure

Activity" is comparable to Kimura ' s exercising category,

while "Food Preparation" and "Kitchen Chores" are not differentiated by separate categories in Kimura ' s research. The

remaining categories were similarly defined for the present

study and Kimura 's study.

When compared to Kimura ' s data, results of the present

study show that residents of group homes spend more time

outside the facility, spend more time involved in personal

care, spend less time involved in kitchen-related activities,

but are very similar to the normal population for other

activity categories. Whether engaging in these activities

poses a significantly higher risk of hazard or injury to

the developmentally disabled than to the normal population

is an empirical question warranting future research.

Appliance Usage by Residents

To give an indication of potential fire hazards, group

home staff were asked to provide data on the kinds of

electrical appliances that were used in the home. Residents

of the group homes were reported as users of the following

appliances: kitchen range, electric fry pan, slow cooker,

can opener, dishwasher, deep fryer, electric griddle, coffee

maker, broiler oven, iron, TV, stereo, radio, clothes washer,

dryer, vacuum cleaner, hairdryer, toaster, electric shaver,

curling iron, lamps, fans, air conditioner, rug shampooer,

mixer, heating pad, clock, humidifier, vaporizer, and garbage

disposal. From the above list of appliances used by group

home residents, it appears that the residents are likely to

be exposed to the hazards conventionally related to the use

of these products. Data do not exist to determine whether

these products pose a greater hazard to the developmentally

disabled residents of group homes than to the normal population . Fire Incidents

Although none of the group homes reported experiencing

a major fire, several minor incidents were reported that

17
represent potential hazards to the developmental ly disabled

in group homes. These incidents are summarized below.

1. Dirty burner pan in kitchen caused a small

fire with no damage. Staff instructed residents

on proper cleaning of burners after spillage

occurred

2. Spillage in oven caused small fire with no

damage. Staff instructed residents on

cleaning oven and use of exhaust fan.

3. Wastebasket caught fire due to disposal of match.

Residents instructed in proper disposal of

matches

4 . Appliance cord lying on stove burner caused

small fire. Cord was subsequently repaired.

5. A trash fire was extinguished with water by a

resident. A supervisor was notified. No

evacuation was necessary.

6. Pipe ashes caused a smoldering fire in a trash

can. A supervisor was alerted by a resident.

Residents were instructed to evacuate when they

believe there is a fire even though an alarm has not

sounded.

7. An overheated clothes dryer caused a small fire.

There were no injuries or damage.

8. A smoldering fire on a couch had an unknown origin.

There were no injuries or damages or major property loss. Staff handled the situation without

panic.

9. A grease fire in a frying pan caused no major

damage. Staff on duty handled the situation.

10.

Toast stuck in a toaster created enough smoke to

set off a smoke alarm. Supervisor advised residents

to notify staff any time an alarm sounds.

The specific fire hazards which developmentally disabled

individuals seem most likely to encounter while living in a group home include: 1) smoking—several critical incidents

were reported; 2) cooking—generally confined to residents

with higher level functioning involved in meal preparation

as opposed to occasional or late-night snack preparation;

18
and 3) arts and crafts equipment such as kilns. It has not

been determined whether the hazard to developmentally disabled

individuals while engaging in these activities is higher than

the hazard to normal individuals.

Fire Drill Observations

Fire drills were observed by the authors at eight of

the group homes. The evacuation times are presented in Table

8. In all cases the evacuation times were less than three

minutes. Data do not exist to allow comparison to residents

of normal homes

.

Additional data were provided for one of the participant

group homes that supplied its fire drill log for a period of

one month. For 27 drills, evacuation times ranged from 30

secs, for a drill held at 7:20 PM involving 18 residents to

4 mins. 30 secs, for a drill at 1:00 AM involving 16 residents.

The average evacuation time was 2 mins. 20 secs, and involved

an average of 15 residents whose disabilities include mental

retardation, paraplegia, quadraplegia , blindness, cerebral

palsy, and epilepsy.

Based on discussions with group home staff, observations

made during fire drills, and the relatively short evacuation

times, the following recommendations are made.

Fire safety and evacuation are learned responses and as

such, involve training and education. Evacuation training is

crucial. Even profoundly retarded individuals have been

trained to evacuate when a fire alarm is sounded.

Practice in fire evacuation is essential and should involve

experience with multiple escape routes, blocked exists, and

meeting at an assigned area outside the facility. Appropriate

behavior when confronted with blocked exits can be taught and

learned. With reference to alternate escape routes, staff

of one facility stated that "in our experience, as residents

begin to learn to use a greater number of available or alternate exit routes, the evacuation time is very definitely

improved." Innovative designs of facilities can allow even

a wheelchair-bound resident to evacuate effectively. One

wheelchair resident went out a first-floor window upon confronting an artificially blocked exit route. Windows designed

so that the lower sill is no more than one foot from the floor

allowed the resident to "tumble forward" from the wheelchair

to the ground outside. It was noted that bedroom windows

should never be blocked by dressers, mirrors, etc. as these

obstruct a potentially necessary escape route.

19
TABLE 8

Evacuation Times o£ Observed Fire Drills

Group Home Location Time to Total Evacuation

North Carolina 15 sec.

Washington (A) 57 sec.

Wiscons in 73 sec.

Florida 25 sec.

New York 75 sec.*

Georgia No drill

Washington (B) 45 sec.

Minnesota 140 sec.

Iowa 56 sec.

Time shown is time to pass closest fire door

20

-s
Group home supervisors offered that training is essential

to ensure that residents do not re-enter a facility should

a fire actually occur. Residents should be drilled on

the necessity of remaining at the assigned area until instructed to re-enter the facility so as to reduce the possibility

of re-entry during an actual fire emergency.

A point of diminishing returns may be reached when fire

drills are held too frequently. One group home supervisor

observed that "when fire drills are conducted too frequently

you begin to desensitize people to the necessity of immediate

evacuation." However, when fire drills are held, no evacuation

assistance should be offered by staff or visitors not usually

available in the group home. Fire drills should be conducted

as they would be if minimum staff requirements were met.

Some group homes employed a "buddy system" in which one

resident would assist another resident who needed help during

the evacuation. The "buddy system" received mixed reactions

by group home staff. "Under many situations we have seen the

"buddy system" work to a definite advantage. However, there

are times when the missing "buddy" creates a bit more added

confusion and panic in the process of evacuating." It seems

that if a "buddy system" is employed, residents should be

trained to help others in the same area as opposed to

searching through the facility for their particular "buddy."

Thoughtful consideration should be given to whether

large group home facilities should have an interconnected

early warning fire detection system so that all residents are

aware of a fire alarm which may go off in another part of

the dwelling.

Early warning fire detection is directly related to the

evacuation time available. The feeling of the supervisors

interviewed can be summed up as "People cannot be replaced.

Buildings can." Consequently, perhaps the emphasis should

be placed on fire prevention training, fire detection, and

fire evacuation rather than fire containment or fighting.

Summary

Major findings of the present study and the authors'

recommendations are summarized below:

® Nothing was found in the physical structures or

interiors of the group homes that differentiated

them from the variability expected in normal

dwellings. Consequently, the facilities themselves

impose no more fire hazard than would normal homes.

Fire safety professionals interested in creating a

special section of the life safety code that reflects

21
the unique needs of the developmentally disabled

population should consider the feasibility of

implementing each suggestion in light of the wide

variety of structures existing.

° There is a wide range of ages and formal education among supervisors in the sample of nine group

homes. In each home, supervisors are available

during times when residents are in the facility.

Staff should be given fire training as well as

training on how to teach fire safety and evacuation

to residents.

® Mental and physical capabilities of residents vary

greatly within and among group homes . Future

research should address the correlation between

intellectual functioning and successful fire

evacuation. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a

linear relationship cannot be described by IQ and

successful evacuation behavior.

° As an increasingly large number of residents are

expected to come to group homes directly from the

community (where little fire evacuation training

usually occurs) rather than from institutions

(where evacuation training is emphasized) , fire

evacuation training in group homes will become

more crucial.

° It can be assumed that residents of group homes

covered under a revised life safety code will run

the full gamut of adaptive behavior capabilities.

The relationship between adaptive behavior scores

and successful fire evacuation has not been

empirically tested at this time.

° Residents of group homes and residents of normal

households do not differ appreciably in their

use of rooms within the respective households.

Room use data indicate that, generally, the entire

home is used by group home residents. Extra fire

protection for any particular room may be appropriate only for sleep areas since both normal and

developmentally disabled individuals are at greatest

risk while sleeping.

® The developmentally disabled engage in the same

general types of activities as the normal population. Whether engaging in these activities poses

a significantly higher risk of hazard or injury to

22
the developmentally disabled than to the normal

population is an empirical question warranting

future research.

® The specific fire hazards which developmentally

disabled individuals seem most likely to encounter

while living in a group home include smoking,

cooking, and arts and crafts equipment.

® In all cases the evacuation times associated with

fire drills held at the group homes were less

than three minutes.

® Practice in fire evacuation is essential and should

involve experience with multiple escape routes,

blocked exits, and meeting at an assigned area

outside the facility.

® Anecdotal evidence suggests that a point of

diminishing returns may be reached when fire

drills are held too frequently, with residents

becoming desensitized to the necessity of

immediate evacuation

° Group home staff felt that perhaps the emphasis

should be placed on fire prevention training, fire

detection, and fire evacuation, rather than fire

containment or fighting. It was their contention

that given this emphasis, their developmentally disabled residents would be at no greater fire risk than

normal residents in private dwellings.

The staff and administrators of the group homes visited

were very receptive to supplying input to the standard

development process. The authors recommend that an informal

review board composed of staff and administrators from

a cross-section of group homes be asked to supply comments,

suggestions, and criticisms of proposed life safety codes

affecting facilities for the developmentally disabled.

Serious considerations should also be given to including

representatives of group home supervisors as voting members

on standards adopting boards.

23
REFERENCES

Cranefield, P.F. A seventeeth century view of mental I deficiency and schizophrenia: Thomas Willis on stupidity 1

and foolishness. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, ] 19 61,

Grossman, H.J. (Ed.) Manual on Terminology and Classification ^ in Mental Retardation . Washington, D.C.: American

Association on Mental Deficiency, 1977.

Keller, J. The "D.A.T.E. " Project (report to the Office of

Developmental Disabilities, Region III, Department of

Health, Education and Welfare), September 1977.

Kimura , P . S . Family Activi ty Patterns as a Basis for House

Design. Unpublished Master's Thesis, Purdue University,

1970.

McDevitt, S.C.; McDevitt, S.C.; and Rosen, M. Adaptive

Behavior Scale, Part II: A Cautionary Note and Suggestions

for Revisions. American Journal of Mental Deficiency,

1977, 8^(2) , 210-212.

Nehira, K.; Foster, R.; Shellhaus, M.; and Leland, H. AAMD

Adaptive Behavior Scale, 1975 Division: Manual . Washington, D.C.: American Association on Mental

Deficiency, 1975.

Nirje, B. The Normalization Principle, Changing Patterns in

Residential Services for the Mentally Retarded, President's

Committee on Mental Retardation , Washington, D.C., 1976.

Overboe, J. and Wang, Y.Y. Behavioral and Physical Character- istics of Developmentally Disabled Individuals (Preliminary

draft) . Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin,

June 1978.

Paul, J.L.; Stedman, D.? and Neufeld, G.R. (Eds.)

Deinstitutionalization . Syracuse: University Press,

1977.

The Developmentally Disabled Assistance and Bill of Rights

Act of 1975, Public Law 94-103.

24
Appendices A through I

Summary Data, Floor Plans, and Photographs

The following case history summaries are provided so

that those involved in life safety code development can

determine the effects that proposed revisions or additions

to existing life safety codes would have on the operation

of a sample of group homes currently in operation across

the country

25
APPENDIX A

Summary Data—North Carolina Group Home

Heating System

Number of Residents

Range of Chronological

Range of Mental Age

Disabilities

Oil

5

Age 26 years - 40 years

4.6 years - 8 years

Mental Retardation

Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which no residents are

reported to be in home = 8.7.

26
Appendix

A

Continued

27

FIRST

FLOOR
Floor

Plan—

North

Carolina

Group

Home

SECOND

FLOOR
Photographs —

North

Carolina

Group

Home

North

Carolina
APPENDIX B

Suinmary Data—Washington A Group Home

Heating System

Number of Residents

Range of Chronological

Range of Mental Age

Disabilities

Oil

6

Age 14 years - 20 years

2 years - 8 years

Mental Retardation

Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which no residents are

reported to be in home = 7.0.

30
Floor

Plan

—

Washington

A

Group

Home

31

FIRST

FLOOR
Appendix B

Continued

Floor

Plan —

Washington A

Group

Home

BASEMENT
Photographs —

Washington A

Group

Home

Living

Room
APPENDIX C

Summary Data—Wisconsin Group Home

Heating System

Number of Residents

Range of Chronological Age

Range of Mental Age

Disabilities

Bottle Gas

Electrical Heating Addition

Baseboard in Rec Room

8

21 years - 52 years

Moderate to Severe

Mental Retardation (and Epilepsy)

Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which no residents are

reported to be in home = 5.0.
Appendix

C

Continued

Floor

Plan

—

Wisconsin

Group

Home

35

UPPER

LEVEL
Appendix C

Continued

Floor

Plan —

Wisconsin

Group

Home

BDi

>•

ocoZ

Z5<

LUU<z

Oi3<Zo¥ < <

LUU

LU < 1 ^'

I'l

36

LOWER

LEVEL

(FULL

BASEMENT)
Appendix

C

Continued

Photographs

—

VJisconsin

Group

Hoiue

37

Bedroom

Living

Room
APPENDIX D

Summary Data—Florida Group Home

Heating System Electric

Number of Residents 10

Range of Chronological Age 17 years - 29 years

Range of Mental Age 7.5 years - 13.6 years

Disabilities Mental Retardation (and Cerebral

Palsy or Dyslexia)

Emotional Disturbance

Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which no residents are

reported to be in home = 4.4.

38
Appendix D

Continued

Floor

Plan—

Florida

Group

Home

XoO CO Xo

2sQ

>-<

_j

mJ<X

OO

n

a

iU

CO

lu £ ^ »— o o U

lUa

ofi ^ = 0£ zo

39

FLOOR

PLAN
Appendix D

Continued

Photographs —

Florida

Group

Home

Living

Room
APPENDIX E

Summary Data—New York Group Home

Heating System Gas and Oil

Number of Residents

Range of Chronological Age

Range of Mental Age

Disabilities

12

10 years - 19 years

1.7 years - 7.1 years

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (and Legally Blind)

Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which to residents are

reported to be in home = 5.2.

41
Appendix

'd

0) d

c

•HP

C

o

o

u

0

e

o

s

cup

o

p

o

u

o

><

42
Appendix

E

Continued

Floor

Plan—

New

York

Group

Home

43
Appendix E Continued

Photographs--New York Group Home

Kitchen

Not available

Exterior

Bedroom

Living Room

44
APPENDIX F

Summary Data—Georgia Group Home

Heating System

Number of Residents

Range of Chronological

Range of Mental Age

Disabilities

Natural Gas

12

Age 18 years - 48 years

6 years - 13 years

Mental Retardation

Emotional Disturbance

Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which no residents are

reported to be in home = 2.9.

45
Appendix

F

Continued

Floor

Plan

—

Georgia

Group

Home

46

HOUSE

PARENTS
Appendix F Continued

Photographs—Georgia Group Home

NO PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN

47
APPENDIX G

Suminary Data—Washington B Group Home

Heating System Gas

Number of Residents 20

Range of Chronological Age 25 years - 61 years

Range of Mental Age 4.1 years - 11.6 years

Disabilities Mental Retardation

Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which no residents are

reported to be in home = 1.1.

48
Appendix G

Continued

Floor

Plan —

Washington B

Group

Home

ocOO

49
Appendix

G

Continued

Floor

Plan

—

Washington

B

Group

Home

50

SECOND

FLOOR
Appendix G Continued

Photograpns---Washington B Group Home

51
APPENDIX H

Summary Data—Minnesota Group Home

Heating System

Number of Residents

Range of Chronological Age

Range of Mental Age

Range of IQ

Disabilities

Natural Gas

41

19 years - 64 years

2.8 years - 12.4 years

34-76

Mental Retardation

Mental Retardation (and Epilepsy)

Percentage of Total Person Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which no residents are

reported to be in home = 4.1.

52
Appendix

H

Continued

Floor

Plan--Minnesota

Group

Home

53

FIRST

FLOOR

PLAN
Appendix H

Continued

Floor

Plan —

Minnesota

Group

Horae

'^i

z-<

_J

a.OO

U- I

54
Appendix H Continued

Photographs —Minnesota Group Home

Kitchen

Living Room

Bedroom

Exterior

55
APPENDIX I

Summary Data—Iowa Group Home

Heating System

Number of Residents

Range of Chronological Age

Range of Mental Age

Disabilities

Percentage of Total Person

Natural Gas

17

21 years - 47 years

Borderline to severe

Mental Retardation

Mental Retardation (and Cerebral

Palsy, Epilepsy, Blindness, or

Amputation)

Cerebral Palsy

Emotional Disturbance

Hours of Use for Each Room

Average number of hours per day in which no residents are

reported to be in home = 3.6.

56
Appendix

I

Continued

Floor

Plan

—

Iowa

Group

Home

57
0)eo

LU

(U Qj a o

•H

M

-P

O co fd o ^0 H H1 X I •H cn T3 4:: C CU

CU n3 Cu P

Cl, Cn < O

-Po

eii . . /

58

Living

Room
Sample

Room

Use

and

Activities

Checklist

for

Nine

Half

Hour

Time

Blocks

Recreation Room 1 11 j I1 2

playing cards 1cleaning 11 2

talking 1 1 1 1 1 1 j 'O 1 1 1 1 1 1 C3

flj ao O' 0 c

oi 1 , I 1 1 1 •H

Jd > i tjx 1 1 1 1 1 1 o H 1 c

H-) rd c >

•HQ CM £o O' O' O' O' 0 d d d D c

pc: •iH •H

C •rH 1 1 1 d jd jd •rH o> 1 1 1 rd 0 > o > X U El c <D 4J El 4J fl rH 44 •H rH rd (0 rd rd >i > u s s

HJ s

<0 o 1^ CM CM CM CM rH

10

(U jd to (0 (U

u

g •H

X

0) +j T3 O' to O' 43 |. 1 O' to d 1 1 c u 1 1 C >0 O' r4 >0 1 1 r4 o 4-1 MH d jd 4J

U

0) •H 4J •H

M 44 rd

X rd ro o (d o (U

d

u tl (U 73 S d Cn

u

M 3

to 43 CM rH rH rH

<u 4J O'

•H c > CM •H

V4 4J 1 d> 1 1 1 1 u xi 1 1 . s 1 1 1 1 1 < 4J o

rd .c

-o

n CO c

(d rH ^

(U(0 O' O' O' D d c d

•rH •r| *r| 6 U u o 1 1 a> 1 1 Q> (U 0 Xi 1 1 s 1 1 s g

pc:; 4J o 0 o

rd x: XI -d

CQ CO CO to

rH rH rH

r^ O' O' O' ms c c c

•rH

C

a

a

d o v 0) rd 0 (U (U 1 1 1 4) 1 u rH 1 1 1 rH 1 Xi Ui to 0

tu ca (M CM rH

0) (N O' O' O' e c c d O' O'

rC •H •H •Hd

d z E a a to •H •r| O (U 0) 1 to T3 a i 1 QJ o a> 0) 1 0) rd a 1 1 F, u 1—4 rH M <D cd 0 V to to T» d X <D CQ CM CM rH rH rH a3c O'

rH t7> O' O' c c c c c .H o

•H

C -H E a a a 0) TJ o (U 0) 0) 1 1 1 1 44 Id o 0) <u <u 1 1 1 1 (A H

f-H i-H rH •rH ^0 (0 to to -4

O

0) 44 n CM CM rH rH p w 43 r3 £ g E E E E

0) J>< Cn rda

a Oi

a E t •H o

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C c o O

OO o O

E-r «H ^0 •• o m CO

O o CO

a •H CM •• •t »• • • •• •• iH rH CM r- 59

11:30

pm 2

sleeping 2

sleeping 2

sleeping