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The Office of Educational Facilities



Jack A. Villagomez
Senior Project Architect
1054 Turlington Building
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400



Phone: (850) 245-9294
Email:

Changes: Statute/Rule/Code

Those changes brought about by HB 431 and SB 534 are in effect and are specified in Department of Education Florida Statute 1013.12. This includes changes for responsibilities of School Boards and local fire departments for inspections, establishment of Board Fire Official position, site plans submittals to local governmental entities, dissolution of Special Fire Inspector category, and requirements for charter schools.

These changes may not yet be reflected in State Fire Marshal Rule 69A-58 but are required by 1013.

Lead Poisoning in Schools

Two common sources of lead poisoning in schools are drinking water and paint. Faucets and drinking fountains are subject to corrosion of plumbing materials like lead and copper in pipes and solder. Lead-based paint is another poisoning source commonly found in facilities constructed prior to 1978. Renovation, repair, or painting work done in those facilities could release hazardous lead dust that could result in lead exposure for children in school and day-care facilities

Exposure to high levels of lead can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells, and kidneys. Exposure to even low levels of lead can cause low IQ, hearing impairment, reduced attention span, and poor classroom performance. Exposure to high levels of copper can cause stomach and intestinal distress, liver or kidney damage.

Florida Statute 381.983 , and EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) and EPA's Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities are valuable sources of information.

Flammable Storage Cabinets:

Florida Building Code 443.3.6.5 and SREF 5(13)(x)2.b.

Rooms used for the storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals used in school and college laboratories shall be vented to the exterior. The ventilation system shall not be connected to the air-conditioning return air system, and the rooms shall be kept at moderate temperatures.

Flammable and combustible liquid storage cabinets are designed to protect the internal contents from a fire outside the cabinet. According to NFPA Code 30-9.5.4, the cabinet is not required to be vented for fire protection purposes but if venting is provided it must be mechanical and per manufacturer's specifications. Venting a cabinet is not even recommended since venting could compromise the ability of the cabinet to protect its contents from a fire. Also cabinets are portable and any relocation would require disconnection and reconnection of cabinet vents. In any case the room is still required to be vented whether the cabinet is vented or not.

Attention Special Fire Safety Inspectors! - "Bridge Class"

State Fire Marshal is offering a special 40 hour course for persons with less than 5 years experience as a Special Fire Inspector who intend to transition to Fire Inspector status. Read the attached memo from SFM about this "Bridge Class" and other requirements for Special Inspectors with more than 5 years experience. Special Fire Safety Inspector Bridge A List Announcement (PDF, 86KB)

Online Safety Course: School Administrators

For your information the Online Safety Program (OSP) Online Safety in Existing Educational Facilities Course is available at all times for instruction in school building and site safety. OSP stresses how important it is for administrators, teachers, and all building occupants to recognize hazardous building conditions and how to prevent and eliminate them. This is a totally automated and narrated course that districts have been offering for continuing education.

For more information contact Jack Villagomez at

Serious Life Safety Hazards

“Serious Life Safety Hazards” referred to in statute 1013.12, require prompt corrective action by the board or withdrawal of facility from use until corrected. Those Serious Life Safety Hazards as defined by the State Fire Marshal include: Non-functional Fire Alarm, Non-functional Fire Sprinkler System, Padlocks or other unapproved locks at exits, Inadequate exits, Hazardous Electrical Conditions, Potential Structural Failure, Hazardous Storage, nonfunctioning or missing Incorrect heat or smoke detectors, Fire Extinguishers missing or not inspected, Fire doors w/ wedges or doorstops.

Building managers must prevent these hazards from occurring or left unattended where they do exist. These are all hazardous conditions that district fire inspectors and local fire officials check for when performing required fire inspections.

Remember that exit stairs are a “Protected Means of Egress” and are to be treated as such. Occupants must be able to enter a stair and be protected from fire and smoke all the way out of the building. Regardless what other codes may allow as an exception, Department of Education does not allow storage in a stair including the area under the steps coming down from the floor above. This is serious enough to be repeated in SREF 5 (10)(a)34., 69A-58.0081(15)(c), and Florida Building Code 423.20.1 General storage. See Informative Links below - “What’s Wrong with this Picture”?

"Frequently Asked Questions": Revised

We are revising and correcting information currently displayed on our website http://www.fldoe.org/edfacil/. Several of the answers provided under Quick Links "Frequently Asked Questions" need to be updated.

Example: Go to: Frequently Asked Questions and note that Items 18 and 19 should read as follows:

18. (Existing Buildings) Are two annual firesafety inspections required?
No. Per 2012 edition of Chapter 5 SREF and 2013 F.S. and Rule 69A-58, local fire departments are no longer required but may perform an annual fire inspection. The district must perform an annual comprehensive safety inspection that includes firesafety for each facility. A joint inspection may be performed.

19. What is the current edition of SREF?
2012 SREF (State Requirements for Educational Facilities) became effective November 19, 2012 and a PDF version can be downloaded at: http://www.fldoe.org/edfacil/pdf/sref-rule.pdf (PDF, 2MB).

If you have any questions about answers given on the current website contact us and we'll help you.

Training Schedule:

  • 2 day 69A-58/SREF Class - July 10 and 11 - NEFEC in Putnam County, Palatka
  • 2 day 69A-58/SREF Class - August 15 and 16 - Hillsborough County - St. Petersburg
  • 2 day 69A-58/SREF Class - Dates not scheduled at this time - Desoto County

Informative Links:


Contact

Office of Educational Facilities
1014 Turlington Building
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
Telephone: (850) 245-0494
Fax: (850) 245-9304