Evening star., 1961-04-27
D. Cancels Order.
For Nursing Homes
New Proposals
To Be Studied,
Hearing Set
By SAM EASTMAN
star Staff Writer

The District Commissioners
today Cancelled orders requiring
building improvements in the
city's 18 nursing homes, after
receiving new structural fire
safety proposals. /;
Today's recommendations,
from committee of city Off
cials, cover not only nursing
homes but all other institu-
tional buildings.
A major proposal from the
committee, headed by j. j.
Ilgenfritz, chief of the Depart
ment of Licenses and Inspec-
tionS. is for required installa-'
ton of sprinkler systems in
-fire-resistant INSTITUTIONAL
structures. Exempted from this
provision would be day-care
homes of one +. or two stories,
and all l-Story buildings of
brick exterior wall construc-
ton.
The committees proposals
were made after a review of
recommendations by the Citi-
zenS Advisory Council for more
stringent fire safety require
ments for nursing homes.
Findings Followed Fire
The Citizens Advisory Coun-
Gil had submitted its findings
after a study of the February
l blaze at the Mount Vernon
Nursing Home, where seven pa
tients died. r..
Today'S report from the spe-
cial committee of District Off
cials indorSed some of the
recommendations by the citi-
zenS group, such as the sprink-
ler system proposal, but ad-
viSed against adoption of
others.
g. The Commissioners today
sent the latest report to their
Building Code Advisory Com
mittee. Members of this COM
mittee will be asked to consult
with the property owners in
volved in the proposed require
ments and to report as prompt
ly as possible. The Commits
slonerS then will call a public
hearing on proposed amend
mentS to the city's 1861 Build
ing Code.
Operators Give Notices
The operators of the l8
nursing homes received notices
from city licensing officials on
March IS that they had 80
days to comply with the struc-
tural requirements in the city's
new building code. The notices
gave the operators 10 days to
appeal the orders to the Dis
trict'S Board of Appeals and
Review. Eleven appeals were
filed.
Today, however, the Com
missionerS took the advice of
Corporation Counsel Chester
H. Gray and rescinded the
notices. New 90-day orders
will be sent out after the Com
misSioners take final action on
any building code amendments
following the pubic hearing,
which probably will be held in
June.
Today, Mr.. Ilgenfritz told the
Commissioners the nursing
home operators = have been
marking time on the question
OF structural improvements
while waiting for the city to
1 take action on the pending pro-
posals for new requirements.
! The committee, Mr.. Ilgenfritz
explained, decided that its pro-
posals should apply across the
! board to the institutional struc-
lures, and should not single
out the nurSin ghonies.
+, Other Recommendations
In addition to the sprinkler
system Recommendation, the
committee also proposed:
4 !. That in buildings required
to be fully covered by a sprink-
Ter system. the system shall be
either directly connected to the
Districts fire alarm headuuar-
ters, or shall be indirectly tied
in through a private central Of
flee. A third alternative is that
at least one accessible" non-
coin operated telephone be pro-
vided. The Citizens Advisory
Council had urged that each
nursing home be required to
have a fire alarm system tied
m directly with the fire depart
ment.
2. That buildings with COM
plete sprinkler systems be per-
mitted to have stairways that
are partially inclosed. and that
certain other code provisions
may be set.
8. That minimum stairway