Nursing Home Fire Safety Regulations

October 2005

Recent media attention about violations in fire safety standards at nursing homes made legislators take note. Now federal officials are considering tougher fire safety requirements and promising to create a list of facilities that do not meet basic protection standards.

The nursing home investigation revealed that federal regulations allowed thousands of nursing homes to operate without the sprinklers and smoke alarms normally required in all public buildings. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has long required nursing homes to be built with sprinkler systems, smoke alarms, and other fire protections, but older nursing homes are not required to retrofit the safety devices into their buildings. CMS is considering a sprinkler mandate for all nursing homes and is also launching a website in mid-2006 listing nursing homes that do and do not have sprinkler systems.

The House of Homeland Security Committee is also planning to introduce a bill that will require sprinkler systems in all nursing homes. The bill would provide grants and low-interest loans to help pay the installation costs.

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