Beginning Monday, Maine childcare facilities are no longer permitted to use baby gates under most circumstances.
Under the new guidance from the Maine Fire Marshall’s Office, baby gates can only be used to protect children from hazards, such as fireplaces or stoves.
An October 18 communication from the Fire Marshall explained that “means of egress” must be “continuously maintained free of all obstructions or impediments” in case of fire or another emergency, and “any type of barrier including, but not limited to gates, is an impediment to free movement in the means of egress.”
According to this memo, it was reportedly observed during “some routine daycare inspections” that devices such as baby gates and playpens were “preventing both adults and children” from being able to access exit doors in case of emergency.
“Since egress obstruction has been observed across the State in daycare and educational facilities, our office felt compelled to begin informing daycare providers of potential egress concerns,” the Fire Marshall’s memo said.
Click Here to Read the Full Memo
In interview with members of the media, Assistant State Fire Marshal Greg Day made an effort to assure business owners that the Office will focus first and foremost on education, as opposed to enforcement.
“We used to allow minimum gates, but it’s gotten really outrageous,” Day told WGME. “People are putting them in doorways and people can’t get out. Our inspectors were tripping over things, and we couldn’t normally walk through certain areas.”
“If the fire alarm goes off, you need to be able to go,” Day said. “We certainly want these kids to be able to get out freely in case of an emergency, no different than if you’re in Walmart or in any other public space.”
“We’re not going to summons people to court, we’re not going to take their licenses away,” added Day. “Voluntary compliance is our goal.”
“We’re working with them. We’ve gotten a lot of calls. Most people are like ‘ok we get it.’ A lot of them are very simple fixes,” he told the outlet. “That’s all we’re looking for is voluntary compliance. We’re not going to shut anybody down, we’re not going to summons anybody.”
While some — including Jennifer Wescott, President of the Family Child Care Association of Maine and childcare provider — have indicated that complying with the new guidance will be relatively simple, others will likely face more time-intensive and expensive fixes.
Depending upon where and why a facility is currently making use of baby gates, adding a half-door or wall may be necessary in order to effectively replace them.
In an interview with WGME, Wescott expressed concern that this change in guidance may force some smaller facilities to close.
“Will they say we can’t operate and close, leading to even more additional shortages with finding child care? That is my concern,” she said. “We have providers that are very concerned.”
[RELATED: Maine Ranks in the Top Ten for Most Restrictive Childcare Regulations, Driving High Costs]
A study from West Virginia University released this past October revealed that Maine has some of the nation’s most restrictive childcare regulations, making childcare more expensive and difficult to access for parents throughout the state.
“Though well-intended, the regulatory framework cripples progress toward affordability, availability, flexibility, and quality for American families seeking childcare solutions,” said the study. “Many popular childcare regulations are more effective at increasing the cost of care than the quality of care.”
Maine also was found separately to have some of the most expensive childcare in the county with an average annual cost of $20,513 per child.
When considering the average childcare cost compared with the median income, Maine is the third worst nationwide, with childcare costing 34.48 percent of the state’s $59,489 median household income.
Honestly, if there was an emergency one swift kick would take out most baby gates
get rid of interior doors too! they def block “means of egress” way more than a baby gate! they should go!! foucs on the bs osha mandates and the covid vax req. thats killing small and volunteer depts!
Baby Gates are going to save lots and lots of kids lives ?
Like HOW MANY HAVE DIED from baby gates ?
Come on .
Hey Augusta democrats ……Let’s work on things that will REALLY make a difference .
No wonder people can’t afford child care in Maine .
Baby Gates . LOL LOL LOL
Take a step back and look at the big picture. No gates, more head injuries. More head injuries with brain damage, more democrats. easy
Honor your motherhood and stay home with your kiddos. Homeschooling. Do not allow other people to indoctrinate your precious DNA. Make Mothers Great Again.
Best to remove all the doors of the house,
Free sneakers to all babies so they can run faster in case of fire or emergency.
Any instances of baby gates being an issue or is it just another govt official marking his spot. Run out if criminals, make more laws.
$20k a yr per child for someone else to raise your kid. EXACT reason moms should be HOME raising their own kids taking care of the home and yes, even their husbands.
I guess a good tumble down the stairs is ok?
Here we see the challenge of a poor education system. If in an emergency one chooses to stop and step carefully over the gate, that’s their own stupidity. Most people would lift their foot and kick the obstacle out of the way. If they can’t use gates, what’s next – doors. Doors do pose a serious obstruction to access during an emergency. And stairs. Stairs really slow you down if there’s an emergency. I mean carrying a child up the stairs may be impossible for an overweight middle aged carer. You know, if you think about it, chairs can be a big problem. And rugs are slippery – we must remove them. And children leave toys all over the place. They are dangerous when one is trying to get a footing while escaping the fire.
I have seen first hand the impact and unreasonableness of the fire safety efforts. I guess apartments need to install larger windows whenever windows are upgraded. They must be large enough for a fully outfitted fireperson. Oh, and speaking of firepersons, isn’t the oversized uniforms of firefighters likely a problem that slows down or precludes access. Slimmer duds or slimmer dudes?
To the fire fighting community, unfortunately it is still unreasonable to expect perfection. There needs to be a Benefit-Cost reality check. Putting a gate in a doorway may prevent a child from accessing many other hazards – like falling down some stairs, like pets, like the trash can or the stove top. There’s hundreds of reasons to reject this latest intrusion of government into our homes and businesses.
You know – electricity is dangerous too.