A fire at a New York nursing home displaced approximately a dozen residents, according to fire officials. The incident occurred on December 29 when a call reporting smoke came in around 1:30 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find thick black smoke on the first floor, originating from a recreation room. Officials at the nursing home reported that the fire began in a PTAC (Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner) heating unit in the room.
Firefighters rescued three residents trapped in neighboring rooms and evacuated the building. One resident was taken to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation, and no other injuries were reported.
The county’s emergency services coordinator confirmed that the displaced residents were relocated to a nearby, county-owned nursing home until the building could be cleared and cleaned.
In a separate incident on December 31, a fire broke out at a Pennsylvania nursing home just before 8 p.m. Multiple fire companies and ambulances responded to the scene. According to a statement from the nursing home, the fire occurred in one unit of the facility. Six residents were treated for smoke inhalation, and approximately 20 others were temporarily relocated to nearby care facilities.
The fire suppression sprinklers extinguished the flames in the resident’s room where the fire originated, though heavy smoke spread throughout the wing. The deputy chief of the Cumru Township Fire Department noted that while the fire was contained, the evacuation process was more challenging. Facility staff, along with emergency responders, evacuated about two dozen residents, many of whom were in wheelchairs. A triage area was set up in another wing to manage the evacuation.
The fire was later determined to be electrical in nature, originating from a faulty light fixture in the resident’s room.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Facility staff should be well versed in life safety and emergency preparedness requirements. Facility leaders are responsible for reviewing the Emergency Preparedness Plan and Life Safety Code specifications to ensure that staff are aware of and meeting the requirements. It is critical that the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan is periodically reviewed and promptly implemented should any emergency arise. An effective Emergency Preparedness Plan should address fire emergencies and provide 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. For further details, 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, Inc. for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
