Texas Fire World
Donna Berny

When it comes time to choose a nursing care facility for a parent, grandparent, or loved one, many things are taken into consideration to make sure the best care possible is being administered. The presence of fire sprinklers in care facilities is something that is not usually part of the list of considerations. Most people automatically assume all nursing facilities have fire sprinklers and smoke detectors. As of right now, older care facilities are not required to have any such thing. Building codes in many states require newer care facilities to have fire sprinkler systems while a “grandfather” clause exempts older facilities. Recently, legislation in several states has been presented to require all nursing homes and care facilities to have sprinkler systems. The sudden concern has come in the wake of two nursing home fires in 2003. Sixteen lives were first lost in Hartford, Conn., and another fire took the lives of 15 others in Nashville, Tenn. Both nursing homes were without sprinkler systems. A report released in July 2004 by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the loss of life in both cases could have been reduced or eliminated with the presence of working fire sprinklers. Journalist Al Thompkins of Poynter University said according to a GAO report, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) will likely require nursing homes to retrofit sprinklers in 2006.

Critics of the recent legislation have cited that the cost for retrofitting sprinklers to older homes would be too great. However, officials are working to provide incentives for voluntary installation such as accelerated depreciation from 30 years to five years and low interest loan programs.

The NFPA said fire sprinklers can reduce the chance of death in a nursing home fire by 82 percent. They have estimated that one-quarter of all nursing home fires occur in facilities without fire sprinklers. Presently, only 12 states require that old and new care facilities have sprinkler systems. Texas is not one of them. Out of 1,143 Texas nursing homes evaluated in a report by the GAO, 84.4 percent were found to have fire safety deficiencies. Our state ranks ninth in a nationwide ranking of nursing home conditions.

As advocates for public safety and fire protection, firefighters should educate the public so they can make wise decisions when choosing a care facility for a loved one. Local nursing and retirement homes should also be encouraged to install sprinklers and smoke alarms as well as practice fire drills with all staff shifts. Making sure that care facilities are kept up-to-date on fire protection and prevention is the only safeguard against future incidents that could end with the tragic loss of life.