Home

  • Home
    • » e-Newsletters

Fire safety bill would mandate automatic sprinklers

LTC Liability Monitor, December 15, 2005

Speaking of fire safety, all nursing homes would need to install automatic sprinkler systems within five years if Congress passes legislation introduced last Thursday. The Nursing Home Fire Safety Act of 2005, introduced by Representatives John B. Larson (D-CT) and Peter T. King (R-NY), would provide financial assistance for long-term care facilities to install sprinkler systems through low-interest loans and grants.

The bill also calls on CMS to adopt the National Fire Protection Association's 2006 Life Safety Code, which requires nursing homes be fully equipped with sprinklers. Following deadly fires in Hartford, CT, and Nashville, TN, in 2003, the Government Accountability Office issued a report criticizing fire safety standards in nursing homes and recommending sprinklers, which are required in new facilities but not older ones.

Most Popular