- Author
- International Association of Fire Chiefs
- Title
- Healthcare Fire Safety.
- Coporate
- International Association of Fire Chiefs, Washington, DC
- Sponsor
- Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC
- Report
- Roundtable Report, 2004, 16 p.
- Book or Conf
- Health Care Fire Safety Roundtable Forum 2004, Washington, DC, 2004
- Keywords
- health care facilities | fire safety | life safety | nursing homes | education | fire protection engineering | training | legislation | codes | emergencies
- Identifiers
- assisted living centers; retirement communities; improve resident safety; Health Care Fire and Life Safety Roundtable; engineering and technology; emergency response
- Abstract
- "Among fire's victims, one large group stands out as a special and growing concern: the occupants of nursing homes and homes for the elderly. Annually 3,500 to 4,000 fires break out in these facilities. During the 20 years from 1951 to 1970, 496 residents of facilities for the aged died in multipledeath fires (those killing three or more). No one keeps a national record of single-fatality fires in nursing homes, but by conservative estimates the toll is 500 persons a year." (America Burning Report, 1973). With well over two million older and disabled Americans living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other unregulated housing, the need for adequate fire protection is a growing concern among those responsible for a population at higher risk for injury and death from fire and other hazards. Factors such as limited mobility and coordination and progressive degrees of mental impairment make residents of these homes and facilities especially prone to experiencing a tragic fire accident. Life safety risks among this group are not limited to fire. Mitigating injuries and deaths from falls, infection, wandering, and other hazards are challenges that face responsible elder-care facility administrators. Sparse staffing, high turnover, and financial constraints compound these issues. The Health Care Fire and Life Safety Roundtable brought participants from both the fire service and health care industries to address these concerns and identify ways to improve safety in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.