The International Association of Fire Chiefs has released its long-awaited report with recommendations to improve fire safety in healthcare facilities, including nursing homes.
The report, called “Healthcare Fire Safety Roundtable Report,” was released last week and is largely in response to deadly nursing home fires in recent years, including a 2003 fire that killed 16 residents at the former Greenwood Health Center in Hartford, CT, and another facility blaze that killed 15 in Tennessee.
Earlier this year, a series of roundtable meetings brought together experts from fire service and healthcare, including several leaders from the long-term care field. These experts developed strategies that are addressed in the report.
Among other information, the report offers recommendations on 12 fire safety strategies, including training, education, improving consistency in the application of codes, regulations and laws, as well as on developing a plan to address evacuations. The report can be found at www.iafc.org/grants/documents/healthcare.pdf.
