Preparing for Fire Inspection?

[kdparadise]

I'm preparing for my fire inspection. I spoke to the inspector and something very NEW popped up - fire sprinklers required if I want to have 2 children under 2.5yrs. Huh? Did you all know this & go through this? I'm in New Mexico, I know it differs depending on your local regs. State Licensing requires a Fire Inspection. I could just pass the basic inspection and overlook the sprinkler thingy? If my own children were under 2 and I had 2 children under 2.5yrs, this regulation wouldn't count, funny, we are TTC again, so I could wait it out, get pregnant, have baby & I'd have my own children (resident chilren) as the 2 under 2.5yrs. State Childcare licensing has their own requirement. If you want more than 5 children, 1:6 ratio I need sprinklers only where the kids nap. That said, I really want another baby under my care or at least a 2nd child under 2yrs. Not only is that the limit state licensing allows, but I'd also like a similar aged child for my 9M old to interact with younger babies are nice to have b/c of stability & the bond you build.

Lemme just say this, the fire inspector told me I must have sprinklers where the DC kiddos ARE if I want 2 under 2.5yrs, not just where they nap. Well, I have one big designated playroom, I change babies in my son's room, b/c right now I still have a changing table in there b/c he is 9M, but beyond that I use the playroom. The kitchen has a lookover and flows in a rectangular floor layout, so that the kitchen is the next room right next to the playroom. The kiddos eat in my kitchen and the babies are in hook on high chairs on my kitchen island. There are 2 different regs to follow: Fire Marshall's & State Licensing. If I went by what the fire marshall wants, I would need to put sprinklers in the kitchen too, which would double the cost. All along, in a few yrs I'd thought of putting in fire sprinklers so that I could have more than 5 under my care, but just not now while I'm new and starting up. Well, I could well just say I feed the kiddos in the playroom, something I had considered, but was against b/c my playroom is carpeted and my kitchen has a nice tiled space for all the feeding to occur.

I want to get up in running formally, but this was just not the cost I wanted to plan for. Your thoughts and ideas please?

[Michael]

Here is another thread on Sprinkler Systems in daycare: https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10881