A recent Burr Ridge, Ill., nursing home fire was suppressed by the building’s fire sprinkler system until Tri-State Fire Protection District crews provided final extinguishment, preventing major damage and possible deaths. The successful fire sprinkler activation at Emeritus of Burr Ridge is a model example of why the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) now requires fire sprinklers in all new and existing long-term care facilities nationwide, according to an article on the Gnom.es National News Service web site.
The CMS federal rule requiring fire sprinklers in long-term care facilities became effective on August 13, 2013, following a five-year phase-in timeframe after publication in 2008. The rule, which applies to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) that are regulated by CMS for Medicare and Medicaid licensure, is a direct result of two deadly nursing home fires in 2003 .
"Fortunately, the nursing home in Burr Ridge was compliant with the newly enacted federal rule and protected by a fire sprinkler system," said Tom Lia, executive director of the nonprofit Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board.
Read the article.
Preparing Healthcare Facilities for Wildfire Air Quality Events
UW Health Set to Open Expansion at East Madison Hospital
Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians Falls Victim to Cyberattack
The Role of Biophilic Design in Healthcare Facilities
TriStar Centennial Medical Center Invests $90M in Women, Children's Hospital Expansions