The year 2023 marks twenty years since the nursing home industry suffered two catastrophic nursing home fires. The first fire occurred in February of 2003 in a Hartford, Connecticut nursing facility followed by a September fire in a nursing facility located in Nashville, Tennessee. Both fires were deadly with a combined total of 31 fatalities.
These fires served as the catalyst to one of the most significant nursing home fire safety mandates in history. Initially, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) introduced a sprinkler system requirement for existing nursing homes in their 2006 edition of the Life Safety Code®. Then, CMS established a deadline of August 2013 for all existing skilled nursing facilities participating in the Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement program to be equipped with a supervised automatic sprinkler system.
Sprinklers are proven to save lives. In fact, according to 2021 NFPA statistics, there has never been a multiple death fire (three or more fatalities) recorded in a nursing home with a functional automatic sprinkler system in place. However, while sprinklers can keep a fire in under control, staff procedures, training and drills are critical to any healthcare facility fire safety program. Lack of focus on fire prevention procedures and training can directly lead to disastrous outcomes.
Maintaining procedures, delivering training, facilitating drills, and overseeing ongoing testing/inspection/maintenance endeavors can be time-consuming tasks requiring unique knowledge. Yet, they are critical to the safety of residents and staff.
As we reflect on this somber anniversary, consider evaluating the following components of your fire safety program:
- Do evacuation diagrams and locations require any updating due to recent changes in the building, including construction or renovation?
- Are staff titles and responsibilities outlined in the organization's fire response plan up to date?
- Is the fire department familiar with your procedures and floor plan? Have they walked through your building in the last year?
- Do your fire drills truly test staff knowledge? Is there a formal critique at the conclusion of each drill to assess lessons learned?
- Are your staff familiar with the fire alarm annunciator panel and how to determine the type and location of an alarm?
Cooking equipment is the leading cause of fires in healthcare facilities, accounting for over 60% of the reported fires. Consider the following tips for minimizing fires in your kitchen:
- Maintain kitchen hood extinguishing systems. They are required to be inspected and tested every six months.
- Monitor and empty grease traps frequently.
- Store combustibles and flammable liquids away from cooking equipment.
- Provide a Class K fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Ensure food service staff are familiar with how to use it and when it should be utilized.
Finally, if you have laundry facilities in-house, make sure you maintain and follow important fire safety guidelines specific to laundering operations. Mop heads and cleaning rags are notorious for combusting during or after the washing and drying process. Key safety protocols include:
- When gathering and storing mop heads and cleaning cloths for laundering, place them in a metal (non-combustible) container with a similar tight-fitting lid. If possible, wash them on the same day they are used.
- Air dry mop heads and cleaning cloths that have been in contact with cleaning chemicals, solvents, oils, polishes, or waxes. Placing these items in the dryer can lead to spontaneous combustion either during or after the drying process.
- Clean lint screens after every load. Monitor and clean areas around dryers for lint build-up including dryer exhaust vents.
Reducing the potential for a fire is time well spent. If a fire emergency does occur, effective procedures and trained staff, complimented by functional fire safety systems, are the best recipe for a positive outcome. Consider spending a few extra minutes examining your fire safety program as we reflect on the catastrophic fires nursing home that occurred twenty years ago.
Additional Life Safety resources can be found in ahcancalEd, including webinars on Life Safety Tips and Survey Preparation for the New Facilities Manager.