Smoke Inhalation from New Jersey Nursing Home Fire Causes 16 to be Hospitalized
Twenty-two people received treatment for smoke inhalation and sixteen of those (mostly employees helping to evacuate the residents) were hospitalized due to smoke from a small fire in the facility. The fire started on a bed and spread to the wall in an unoccupied room on the facility’s second floor. The facility’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire, keeping the fire contained to a single room, but a large area became smoke-filled necessitating the evacuation of many residents—a number who were disabled.
The police responded quickly to the fire and, working together with the facility’s staff, were able to evacuate the residents safely. The police chief indicated that the fire was accidental, and he complimented the facility’s staff saying, “All departments involved worked really well together, and we were able to avoid any serious injuries to the residents, employees, and emergency personnel.”
The facility was closed for two hours due to the fire, but none of the residents had to be relocated to other facilities.
Compliance Perspective
Failure to have a comprehensive Emergency Preparedness Plan that includes responding to emergencies and having a well-trained staff might be considered provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures to prevent, respond to, and investigate accidental fires from occurring.
- Train staff so they are familiar with the Emergency Preparedness Plan, with emphasis on evacuation drills that help ensure resident safety should an emergency occur.
- Periodically audit staff members’ ability to respond to a variety of emergency situations through unannounced emergency response drills.
