A fire at a Washington nursing home displaced seventy-seven residents and drew a coordinated response from local firefighters. Five residents were transported to local hospitals for further evaluation, according to the local police department.
Crews responded to the blaze at about 5:30 p.m. after receiving calls from the facility and its neighbors. There were reports of smoke in the kitchen area and smoke coming from the roof. Twenty-nine staff and some neighbors evacuated all of the facility’s residents.
When the first engine arrived on the scene at 5:36 p.m., there was heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof at the north end of the building. About 50 firefighters responded to the blaze from regional agencies, and the blaze was under control in just under three hours, according to the police.
Ambulance strike teams from three counties were dispatched to assist with resident care and transport. The local school district and a transit company supplied buses capable of transporting residents in wheelchairs. The residents, some under hospice care, were initially taken to the local high school gym. They were then moved to other facilities or hospitals. No injuries were reported.
The investigation into the origin of the fire is ongoing, but is not considered suspicious. Damage to the building was substantial, including water damage from the sprinkler system.
Issue:
Facility staff should be well versed in life safety and emergency preparedness requirements. The Emergency Preparedness Plan and Life Safety code specifications should be reviewed by facility leaders who must ensure that staff are aware of and meeting the requirements. It is critical that the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan is reviewed periodically and implemented promptly should any emergency arise. An effective Emergency Preparedness Plan should cover fire emergencies and include 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 much more. Refer to the CMS State Operations Manual, Appendix Z, available at this link: som107ap_z_emergprep.pdf (cms.gov).
Discussion Points:
- Review your Emergency Preparedness Plan and update as necessary. Review the most current Life Safety codes and ensure that your building meets those requirements. Make sure the Plan is available to staff so they can easily access the guidelines for the various components should an emergency occur.
- Train all staff on your Emergency Preparedness Plan. Conduct drills for the various disaster response plans to ensure staff competency with each. Ensure that the facility Maintenance Director is aware of current Life Safety codes and provide training as needed. Document that these trainings and drills occurred, and file the signed documents in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically conduct environmental audits to ensure that Life Safety codes are being followed. Audit staff to ensure that they are aware of their roles during each category of emergency per your Emergency Preparedness Plan.
