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10-YEAR HEALTH LIFE SAFETY SURVEY

The cornerstone of facility planning and compliance for Illinois school districts.

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And we've got the expertise, the forms, the plans, and the submittals.

Mandated by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) under the School Code (105 ILCS 5/2-3.12), this process ensures that every public school building is safe, structurally sound, and suitable for continued educational use.

Here's why it's so important:

​1.  Student and Staff Safety

The primary purpose of the survey is to identify and correct potential hazards—such as fire safety issues, structural deficiencies, inadequate exits, or mechanical system failures—that could endanger building occupants.  The intent is for each facility to meet the minimum safety standards set by the state.

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2.  Regulatory Compliance

Every ten years, each school district must have a licensed architect or engineer inspect all occupied school buildings and file a Health/Life Safety Survey with ISBE. This process verifies compliance with:

  • The Illinois Administrative Code (Part 180 & 185)

  • The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s regulations

  • Local and state building and accessibility codes

Failure to complete or file the survey can lead to state sanctions or loss of certain funding approvals.

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3.  Strategic Facility Planning

The survey provides a thorough condition assessment of all school buildings, forming the foundation for:

  • Long-range capital improvement plans

  • Maintenance prioritization

  • Budget forecasting

Districts use the findings to develop a Facilities Master Plan that aligns safety needs with educational goals and available funding.

 

4.  Access to Funding

When deficiencies are identified, the survey can justify the use of Health/Life Safety Bonds—a dedicated financing mechanism approved by ISBE—to fund eligible safety-related projects. This allows districts to address critical needs without diverting money from classroom instruction.

 

5.  Transparency and Accountability

Because the surveys are filed with the Regional Office of Education (ROE) and the state, they are a public record of facility safety conditions. This builds community trust and demonstrates responsible stewardship of public assets.

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In Summary

The 10-Year Health/Life Safety Survey is a strategic tool for safeguarding students, ensuring compliance, and planning responsibly for the future.  By systematically identifying and addressing facility needs, Illinois school districts can maintain safe, effective, and sustainable learning environments for the next generation.

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We’ve completed over 70 of these surveys for public school districts.

​The process is divide into three phases:

   Phase 1:  Field Survey and Report
   Phase 2:  Safety Reference Plans

   Phase 3:  Life Safety Amendments

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Phase 1:

Field Survey and Report

Identify all district facilities and gather all available existing information, including:

  • Previous Life Safety Surveys and Amendments

  • Existing Floor Plans and Site Plans

  • Meet with district personnel to discuss known areas of concern and the general condition of the facilities

  • Survey each facility to identify all Life Safety violations or non-compliance items

  • Compile info required for Safety Reference Plans

  • Summarize Description of Existing Conditions

  • Present and review code violations with District

  • Finalize report and file in the ISBE’s IWAS system


We prefer to conduct our field surveys during time when school is not in session.  We will coordinate the schedule of work with the district.

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Phase 2:

Safety Reference Plans

Our first step in preparing these plans is to obtain the existing site and floor plans. If CAD plans have not been prepared, we would propose developing these drawings.  Once these drawings are established, we will add the information to these base plans as required to create Safety Reference Plans, including:

Safety Reference Site Plans

  • Map of district boundaries

  • Site boundaries and bordering roadways

  • Location of all buildings on site

  • Location of buildings on adjacent sites

  • Fire hydrants and fire alarm boxes

  • Utility services - size, location, and shut-offs

  • Walkways, fire lanes, and bus zones

  • Play areas and parking areas

  • Fences and gates

  • Elevation above sea level and flood plain

  • Unusual terrain

Safety Reference Schematic Floor Plans

  • Fire areas

  • Elevation of each level and all egress points

  • Location and fire rating of all walls and partitions

  • Occupancy and use identification for each room

  • Rated capacity for each floor and room

  • Areas protected by sprinklers and fire detection

  • Identification of all exits and paths of egress

  • Identification of all doors in exits and paths of egress

  • Locations of all vertical openings

  • Locations of all fire alarm devices

  • Location of all fuel-burning equipment

  • Location of all service tunnels

Phase 3:

Life Safety Amendments

If the district wishes to fund the repair of any non-complying work with life safety funds we will need to draft and file the necessary forms. This entails identifying the necessary quantities, scope of work as well as establishing budget figures.

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Until the survey work is completed it is not possible to determine what might be required in terms of life safety amendments. The 10-Year Life Safety Survey does not typically include the drafting of any actual life safety amendments that may result from the survey. These amendments are not required as a part of the 10-Year Life Safety Survey.

It's all in the follow-through.

Once a 10-Year Health/Life Safety (HLS) Survey is completed, a school district receives a comprehensive assessment of its facilities, identifying health and life safety deficiencies, code compliance concerns, accessibility issues, and other facility needs. 


The survey provides prioritized recommendations and planning-level cost estimates for repairs, renovations, and upgrades, helping districts understand what requires immediate attention and what can be planned for the future.

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10-Year Health Life Safety Survey Experience

  • Amboy CUSD 272

  • Antioch CCSD 34

  • Arbor Park SD 145

  • Beecher SD 200-U

  • Benjamin SD 25

  • Berwyn South SD 100

  • Carnegie Management and Development Center

  • Casey-Westfield CUSD C-4

  • Cornell SD 426

  • Deerfield SD 109

  • Dixon SD 170

  • East Prairie SD 73

  • Evanston CCSD 65

  • Fairview SD 72

  • Flossmoor SD 161

  • Freeport SD 145

  • Glen Ellyn SD 41

  • Glencoe SD 35

  • Gower SD 62

  • Griggsville-Perry CUSD 4

  • Grundy Area Vocational Center

  • Hall High SD 502

  • Heritage CUSD #8

  • Indian Valley Vocational Center 

  • Lake County Tech Campus

  • Lake Forest ESD 67

  • Lyons SD 103

  • Marseilles ESD 150 

  • Meridian CUSD 223 

  • Morris CHSD 101

  • Mount Prospect SD 57

  • Mundelein SD 75

  • North Chicago SD 187​​

  • NSSED 

  • Ogle County Educational Coop

  • Ottawa ESD 141

  • Rochelle CCSD 231

  • Rochelle THSD 212

  • Rondout SD 72

  • Rooks Creek SD 425

  • Round Lake CUSD 116

  • Shelbyville CUSD #4

  • Shiloh CUSD #1 

  • Skokie SD 73.5

  • Spring Valley CC SD 99 

  • Streator THSD 40

  • TrueNorth Educational Coop 804 

  • Winnetka SD 36

  • Wood Dale SD 7

  • Zion ESD 6

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