(1) Floor areas containing patients’ or residents’ sleeping rooms in a hospital or long-term care home shall conform to Sentences (2) to (12).
(2) Except as permitted by Sentence (3), a floor area containing patients’ or residents’ sleeping rooms in a hospital or long-term care home shall be divided into no fewer than two fire compartments, each not more than 1 000 m2 in area.
(3) The floor area on either side of a horizontal exit conforming to Article 3.4.6.10. is permitted to be considered as a fire compartment in applying the requirements of this Article.
(4) Except as permitted by Sentence (5), fire separations separating fire compartments required by Sentence (2) shall have a fire-resistance rating not less than 1 h.
(5) The fire-resistance rating of a fire separation referred to in Sentence (4) is permitted to be less than 1 h but not less than 45 min provided the fire-resistance rating required by Subsection 3.2.2. is permitted to be less than 1 h for,
(a) the floor assembly above the floor area, or
(b) the floor assembly below the floor area, if there is no floor assembly above.
(6) Reserved
(7) The travel distance from any point within each fire compartment referred to in Sentence (2) to a door to an adjoining fire compartment shall be not more than 45 m.
(8) Each fire compartment referred to in Sentence (2) shall be capable of accommodating, in addition to its own occupants, the occupants of the largest adjacent fire compartment based on a clear floor space of 2.5 m2 per patient or resident in the adjacent fire compartment.
(9) Except as permitted by Sentences (10) and (11), walls between patients’ or residents’ sleeping rooms and the remainder of the floor area shall be constructed as fire separations but are not required to have a fire-resistance rating unless a fire-resistance rating is required by other provisions in this Part.
(10) The fire separation requirements of Sentence (9) do not apply to walls within a group of intercommunicating patients’ or residents’ rooms, provided the group of rooms does not
(a) contain more than five patients or residents, or
(b) include storage, bathing or toilet facilities serving persons not occupying the group of rooms.
(11) A door in a fire separation required by Sentence (9) is permitted to be equipped with a roller latch.
(12) A fire separation required by Sentence (9) shall not contain any grilles, louvres or other openings.