2000 Edition National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Life Safety Code (LSC) Waivers

• Several Categorical LSC Waivers Permitted: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has identified several areas of the 2000 edition of the LSC and 1999 edition of NFPA 99 that may result in unreasonable hardship on a large number of certified providers/suppliers and for which there are alternative approaches that provide an equal level of protection. This memorandum specifies the provisions that are available for waiver, including the conditions for the alternative approaches.
• Providers and Suppliers Must Elect to Use the Waiver: Individual waiver applications are not required, but providers and suppliers are expected to have written documentation that they have elected to use a waiver and must notify the survey team at the entrance conference for any survey assessing LSC compliance that it has elected the use of a waiver permitted under this guidance and that it meets the applicable waiver requirements. The survey team will review the information and confirm they are meeting the circumstances for the waiver.