Writer and philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” While this piece of wisdom can be applied to any situation, it seems particularly relevant to the nursing home industry.
今年是20周年th anniversary of two particularly devastating nursing home fires that occurred in Hartford, 康涅狄格, 和纳什维尔, 田纳西州, 夺走了31个人的生命. 事件 like these remind us of the importance of maintaining effective fire safety and 应急准备方案 in nursing and health care facilities.
养老院自动喷水灭火系统
These two fires served as a catalyst for one of the most significant changes to fire safety requirements in our lifetime. 第一个, the 2006 edition of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Life Safety Code® introduced sprinkler requirements for existing nursing homes. 医疗保险中心 & Medicaid 服务 (CMS) then issued a 2008 final ruling requiring that all existing skilled nursing facilities participating in their reimbursement program be equipped with supervised automatic sprinkler systems by August 2013.
喷水灭火系统拯救生命. 他们的工作做得很好, 根据NFPA的统计, there has never been a multiple-fatality fire in a nursing home equipped with a functional automatic sprinkler system (i.e., three or more fatalities in the same event).
Maintain Proper Fire and 应急准备 Procedures + 培训
While sprinkler systems can keep a fire in check, a health care facility’s fire safety program must also focus intently on utilizing proper staff procedures, 演练的训练和表演. Staff need to be comfortable taking timely and effective action should the need arise. Improper procedure focus and lack of training can lead directly to disastrous outcomes.
Effectively managing fire, life safety and 应急准备方案 可能是压倒性的. Maintaining procedures, delivering training, facilitating drills, and overseeing ongoing inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) can be extremely time-consuming tasks requiring unique knowledge. Yet, they are critical to the protection of both residents and staff.
Work With Your Community for an Effective Emergency Response
当灾难袭来, we all need to work together to ensure our community has an effective disaster response. 通过 卫生保健应急准备, residents receive the care they need at the right place and time with the right resources.
9月8日, 2016, CMS published the 应急准备 Requirements for Participation in the Federal Register. 当这项规定生效时, it required many layers of emergency planning, including collaboration and coordination with local responders and other health care facilities in the local community.
Similar to mutual aid between emergency services, these mutual aid plans allow health care facilities and communities to assist one another in an emergency. Health care coalitions contribute by developing emergency plans, 一起进行训练练习, 共享信息和资源, and building connections between all community-based partners. The coalition brings individual organizations together in a way that builds capabilities difficult to achieve without support.
Evaluate Your 应急准备 Program
As we reflect upon this somber anniversary, consider evaluating your facility’s fire safety and 应急准备方案. Jensen Hughes provides all-inclusive customized programs that assess the effectiveness of your existing procedures and educate your staff on their role-specific duties during an emergency. 进一步了解彩宝网平台的 卫生保健应急准备 and life safety services.