I am following the NHC nursing home fire case here in Nashville , Tennessee with great interest . The case is set for trial in April of 2007 . Fire Safety should be a grave concern for these nursing homes in Middle Tennessee . The Tennessee Legislature has enacted some strong laws on fire safety .
No later than August 1, 2004 any nursing home that is not sprinklered as of May 3, 2004 must provide a smoke alarm or smoke detector , or both in each patient room .Any nursing home that is not fully sprinklered as of May 3 , 2004 must submit a plan for a full sprinklering of the facility . The most important law is that at least once per year each licensed nursing home shall coordinate a fire drill with its local fire department . The local fire department shall observe the fire drill and provide input to the facility relative to the fire safety of the facility . The bottom line is when you are checking on a nursing home for your loved one please ask to see copies of their fire drills . If they do not have one , you may be in the wrong place .
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