Nearly 100 residents at a Pennsylvania nursing home were evacuated late in the morning on May 20, 2024, after a fire broke out on the roof. No injuries were reported.
Staff and emergency responders moved the evacuated residents to a hospital which was next to the nursing home. After the fire was put out, exhaust fans were used to clear smoke from the hallways.
In a news briefing after the incident, officials stated that the fire was caused by an exhaust fan in the air conditioning unit on the roof and that it had pushed a considerable amount of smoke throughout the third floor. The fire was contained to that one unit and did not spread.
By mid-afternoon, nursing home and county officials determined it was safe for the residents to return to their rooms. A large portable air conditioner was delivered to the facility later that day to help keep the hallways and other common areas cool until the facility’s air conditioning units were working again. Officials said that each of the residents has their own individual air conditioning unit in their room, and those were all functioning properly as they were not impacted by the fire.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Facility staff should be well versed in life safety and emergency preparedness requirements. The Emergency Preparedness Plan and Life Safety code specifications should be reviewed by facility leaders who must ensure that staff are aware of and meeting the requirements. It is critical that the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan is reviewed periodically and implemented promptly should any emergency arise. An effective Emergency Preparedness Plan should cover fire emergencies and include detailed guidelines for the total evacuation of a facility to a safe location, transport of required equipment, secure handling of medications and medical records to transfer locations, and much more. Refer to the CMS State Operations Manual, Appendix Z, available here.
Discussion Points
- Review your Emergency Preparedness Plan and update as necessary. Review the most current Life Safety codes and ensure that your building meets those requirements. Make sure the Plan is available to staff so they can easily access the guidelines for the various components should an emergency occur.
- Train all staff on your Emergency Preparedness Plan. Conduct drills for the various disaster response plans to ensure staff competency with each. Ensure that the facility Maintenance Director is aware of current Life Safety codes and provide training as needed. Document that these trainings and drills occurred, and file the signed documents in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically conduct environmental audits to ensure that Life Safety codes are being followed. Audit staff to ensure that they are aware of their roles during each category of emergency per your Emergency Preparedness Plan. Audit to ensure that thorough documentation of each drill is on file and available for surveyor access when requested, to include participation in an annual area-wide drill with your local emergency response teams.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
