Two recent fires at nursing homes in Kentucky and New York highlight the importance of emergency response and evacuation procedures in residential care facilities.
An early morning fire at a Kentucky nursing home damaged part of the building and prompted an evacuation on October 17. According to the Hopkinsville Fire and EMS captain, the call came in around 4:45 a.m. reporting a fire in a resident’s bedroom. Crews arrived to find staff actively evacuating residents from the affected hallway. Firefighters assisted in the evacuation efforts.
The fire was contained to a single bedroom, but the wing sustained water damage from the sprinkler system. A total of 16 residents were evacuated. One adult female was transported to a local hospital for chest pains. Several staff members were evaluated for smoke inhalation, though none required hospitalization. Investigators believe the fire was caused by a malfunction in a wall-mounted heating and cooling unit in the room.
In a separate incident, all residents were relocated from a Long Island nursing home following a fire and subsequent state-ordered evacuation on October 13. According to police, the fire broke out around 4:30 a.m., when an employee reported smoky conditions in the west wing. Responding officers observed smoke in the hallway. The fire is believed to have started in a resident’s bathroom, possibly due to an issue with an HVAC system air handler. It was extinguished quickly, and no significant fire damage was found, although sheetrock was removed during the investigation.
Following the initial evacuation due to the smoke, the New York State Department of Health ordered a full evacuation of the facility. The police chief noted that the building’s fire alarm system was not functioning properly at the time of the incident.
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. This includes also ensuring that building systems, such as smoke detection and HVAC components, are maintained in accordance with Life Safety Code 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 more.
Discussion Points
- Regularly review and update your Emergency Preparedness Plan to reflect current risks, changes in facility layout, and lessons learned from recent incidents. This includes ensuring procedures are in place for total or partial evacuation, secure transport of medical records and medications, and coordination with emergency responders. Facilities may benefit from working with an external consultant to conduct focused mock surveys or policy reviews that help identify gaps in preparedness before an actual emergency occurs.
- Train all staff on your Emergency Preparedness Plan. Conduct drills for the various disaster response plans to ensure staff competency with each. Training should also include recognizing signs of system failures, such as malfunctioning alarms or smoke detectors, and how to respond appropriately. Med-Net Academy offers the course Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Nursing Homes, which reviews key components such as the emergency plan, risk assessment, policies and procedures, and the communication plan.
- Conduct regular environmental and systems audits to verify compliance with Life Safety Code standards. Include checks of smoke detectors, HVAC systems, and alarm functions as part of your routine maintenance schedule. Facilities may also find value in engaging with a consultant to perform periodic mock surveys or targeted assessments based on findings from their QAPI program. Audit results should be documented and used to guide continuous improvement.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, Inc. for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*