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Federal Fire Safety Requirements Do Not Insure Life Safety in Nursing Home Fires. Report to the Congress
Federal fire safety requirements for nursing homes participating in Medicare and Medicaid are discussed in a report of the Comptroller General to the Congress. The report examines two fires in Chicago nursing homes that led to the deaths of 31 people early in 1976. Multiple deaths occurred in these and other fires even though the buildings were considered to be fire resistive and were in substantial compliance with Federal fire safety requirements. Investigation of the Chicago fires revealed that the deaths were caused by smoke and products of combustion rather than by flames. Neither facility was fully protected with an automatic sprinkler system designed to activate an alarm and begin combating the fire immediately. Neither the fire department, which responded promptly to both alarms, nor facility employees were able to prevent the deaths. This and other reports point up the need for and the benefits of automatic sprinkler systems in nursing facilities. It is estimated that the cost of sprinkler system installation ranges from $393 to $625 per bed. It is pointed out that, with the installation of a sprinkler system, savings on nursing facility fire insurance premiums are possible. Through reimbursement for depreciation and interest, Medicare and Medicaid will pay for part of the cost of installation. The report recommends that Congress enact legislation requiring all nursing facilities to be fully protected with automatic sprinkler systems. It is further recommended that the Department of Housing and Urban Development take steps to encourage the use of Federal loan insurance for the installation of fire safety equipment, a program hampered by excessive processing time and lack of publicity. Appended materials include a summary of pertinent congressional committee reports on fire safety in nursing homes, copies of the floor plans of the two Chicago facilities, and details of other nursing facility fires resulting in multiple deaths.
Federal Fire Safety Requirements Do Not Insure Life Safety in Nursing Home Fires. Report to the Congress
Federal fire safety requirements for nursing homes participating in Medicare and Medicaid are discussed in a report of the Comptroller General to the Congress. The report examines two fires in Chicago nursing homes that led to the deaths of 31 people early in 1976. Multiple deaths occurred in these and other fires even though the buildings were considered to be fire resistive and were in substantial compliance with Federal fire safety requirements. Investigation of the Chicago fires revealed that the deaths were caused by smoke and products of combustion rather than by flames. Neither facility was fully protected with an automatic sprinkler system designed to activate an alarm and begin combating the fire immediately. Neither the fire department, which responded promptly to both alarms, nor facility employees were able to prevent the deaths. This and other reports point up the need for and the benefits of automatic sprinkler systems in nursing facilities. It is estimated that the cost of sprinkler system installation ranges from $393 to $625 per bed. It is pointed out that, with the installation of a sprinkler system, savings on nursing facility fire insurance premiums are possible. Through reimbursement for depreciation and interest, Medicare and Medicaid will pay for part of the cost of installation. The report recommends that Congress enact legislation requiring all nursing facilities to be fully protected with automatic sprinkler systems. It is further recommended that the Department of Housing and Urban Development take steps to encourage the use of Federal loan insurance for the installation of fire safety equipment, a program hampered by excessive processing time and lack of publicity. Appended materials include a summary of pertinent congressional committee reports on fire safety in nursing homes, copies of the floor plans of the two Chicago facilities, and details of other nursing facility fires resulting in multiple deaths.
Federal Fire Safety Requirements Do Not Insure Life Safety in Nursing Home Fires. Report to the Congress
1976
60 pages
Report
No indication
English
Environmental & Occupational Factors , Biomedical Instrumentation & Bioengineering , United States , Safety hazards , Revisions , Health care facilities , Environmental health , Design , Fire safety , Nursing homes , HRP/GB , HRP/GAJ , HRP/HH , HRP/ZJ , HRPGEO/YUS , HRPOCC/XZ , Medicare , Medicaid , Safety engineering , Requirements , Recommendations
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