sprinkler systems throughout their buildings under a new regulation
proposed by CMS.
CMS published a proposed rule in the October 27, 2006, Federal
Register that would require all long-term care facilities to install
sprinkler systems. The agency did not propose any date for compliance,
but instead asked for public comment on the duration of a phase-in
period to allow long-term care facilities to plan for and install the
systems. The comment period closed December 26.
CMS acknowledged that installing sprinklers will be both an
expensive and time-consuming effort for nursing homes, but one that will
save lives. Under the new regulation, nursing homes would have to
install sprinkler systems if they want to continue to accept Medicare
and Medicaid dollars.
"Automatic sprinkler systems are integral t o increasing safety
in nursing homes, and we look forward to their installation in all of
the nursing homes across the country," said Leslie V. Norwalk,
acting administrator of CMS, in a press release.
Good for the industry?
As expected, fire protection consultants applauded CMS'
decision. "It's an excellent move and a needed move.
Obviously, it's going to save lives," says James K. Lathrop,
vice president of Koffel Associates, Inc., in Niantic, CT.
"My professional opinion is that this is one of the best
things to happen recently in terms of life safety," agrees A.
Richard Fasano, manager of the western http://www.rmlandscape2.com/ office of Russell Phillips &
Associates, LLC, in Elk Grove, CA.
Both Lathrop and Fasano noted that the nursing home industry
supports the installation of automatic sp rinklers in facilities.
"There hasn't been any opposition to this at all," Fasano
says.
In fact, the American Health Care Association (AHCA), the industry
group that represents for-profit nursing homes, worked closely with the
National Fire Protection Association on the sprinkler issue and other
Life Safety Code[R] issues.
"Our first, most basic priority as providers of quality
long-term care is to guarantee the physical safety of frail, elderly,
and disabled residents within a facilit y," said AHCA President
Bruce Yarwood, in a press release. "[Although] major nursing home
fires are rare, fire prevention remains a top priority for our
members."
Smoke Sprinkler System Denton alarm proviso
As an interim step toward the requirement for sprinkler systems, in
March 2005 CMS began requiring all nursing homes that did not have
sprinklers to install battery-operated smoke alarms in all resident
rooms and public areas.
The proposed rule includes a sunset provision for the smoke alarm
requirement, which CMS will phase out to coincide with the requirement
of facilities with full sprinkler systems.
Save a life, even if it costs
Installing sprinklers decreases the chances of fire-related deaths
by 82%, CMS said, citing a July 2004 Government Accountability Office (GAO) rep ort, Nursing Home Fire Safety: Recent Fires Highlight
Weaknesses in Federal Standards and Oversight. The report examined two
2003 long-term care facility fires in Hartford, CT, and Nashville, TN,
that resulted in 31 resident deaths.
The GAO report cited sprinklers as the single most effective fire
protection feature for long-term care facilities. If the Hartford and
Nashville nursing homes were equipped with automatic sprinklers, "I
don't even think we would have ever heard about them," Lathrop
says.
The proposed rule will require every long-term care facility to
install "an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system"
in accordance with the 1999 edition of NFPA 13, "Standard for Sprinkler System Installation Denton the
Installation of Sprinkler Systems." It also requires the testing,
inspection, and m aintenance of those systems by facilities in accordance
with the 1998 edition of NFPA 25, "Standard for the Inspection,
Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems."
AHCA said it plans to work with Congress to help provide resources
for nursing homes that will need to tackle the high cost of retrofitting
older facilities with sprinkler systems.
Under existing CMS regulations, newly constructed nursing homes and
those undergoing major renovations, alterations, or modernizations must
install sprinkler systems. However, until now CMS has not required older
homes to have such systems.
In its proposed rule, CMS estimated it would cost thousands of
dollars to install a sprinkler system, depending on the size of the
facility.
Yarwood said it is important that CMS recognized the need for a
phase-in period to allow nursing homes planning and installation time.
CMS also acknowledged that facilities might need to reallocate their
resources and possibly secure additional capital resources to fund the
improvements, as well as possibly temporarily relocate residents during
installation. CMS said some facilities may choose to move rather than
install a system in their current location.
How much time do you have to install?
In the final rule, CMS said it wants to see nursing homes install
the sprinklers as quickly as possible, but acknowledged that new
regulations should not place undue burden on facilities. "The cost
of installing sprinklers is substantial, and we do not expect long-term
care facilities to have $75,000 to $615,000, depending on the size of
the area requiring sprinklers and the cost of installing sprinklers,
immediately available to purchase and install sprinklers," CMS
stated i n the rule. "At this time we do not know what would be the
exact length of the phase-in period."
For illustrative purposes, CMS offered cost estimates that looked
at five, seven, and 10-year phase-in periods to implement the sprinkler
requirement. "I think 10 years is more than liberal," Lathrop
says.
Based on a 10-year time frame for implementation, CMS estimates
that the regulation would affect 2,462 nursing homes--1,947 that are
partially sprinklered and 515 without any sprinklers.
The estimated cost for installing a sprinkler system in an average
size building (50,000 sq ft) without any existing sprinklers would be
$205,000 to $307,500, depending on the cost per square foot, CMS said in
the rule.
If a long-term care facility is part of another building, such as a
hospital, then the regulation will require sprinklers only in the
< br>long-term care section.
RELATED ARTICLE: CMS to hold off on 2006 Life Safety Code for now.
While CMS moves ahead to require nursing homes to install automatic
fire sprinklers, the agency is doing so without adopting the 2006
edition of the Life Safety Code[R] (LSC).
In its proposed rule, published in the October 27 Federal Register,
CMS clearly stated that it is not prepared to adopt the 2006 LSC. The
agency said it supports the NFPA's decision to include an automatic
sprinkler system requirement for all long-term care facilities in the
2006 LSC. However, "we have decided to proceed with this rule,
without adopting the NFPA 2006 edition of the LSC, because we want to
avoid further delay in requiring an automatic sprinkler system in
long-term care facilities," CMS wrote in the rule.
To adopt the 2006 LSC, CMS stated it would have to go through
notice and comment rulemaking. "In addition to the time that it
takes to carefully analyze the LSC in its entirety, the rulemaking
process itself is a time-consuming process that, even in the best case
scenario, takes 18 months to complete," CMS wrote.
Because of the large scope of the LSC, that process could take even
longer, CMS stated, speculating it would not be able to adopt and
enforce compliance with the 2006 edition until 2008 or 2009. Then the
2008 or 2009 publication date of a final rule would begin a probable
phase-in period, which could be anywhere from three to 10 additional
years, CMS stated.
"We believe that delaying the rulemaking process would be a
disservice to all long-term care facility residents who reside in
buildings that do not have sprinklers," CMS stated.
CMS said it will continue to work with the NFPA to revise and
refine each edition of the LSC "We are currently examining the 2006
edition of the LSC in its entirety and exploring the possibility of
adopting it for all Medicare and Medicaid participating healthcare
facilities," CMS stated. The agendy said it welcomed public comment
on its decision to proceed with rulemaking on the sprinkler requirements
separate from the 2006 LSC.
While some may be disappointed that CMS did not adopt the 2006 LSC,
the agency's approach will allow it to create an implementation
period to give nursing homes time to install new sprinkler systems, says
A. Richard Fasano, manager of the western office of Russell Phillips
& Associates, LLC, in Elk Grove, CA.
If CMS adopted the 2006 LSC, nursing homes would have to
immediately comply with t hose requirements on the date the new code took
effect, Fasono says. "I think CMS is wise in taking the approach it
did."--Joanne Finnegan
BY JOANNE FINNEGAN, STAFF WRITER
Joanne Finnegan is a senior managing editor at HCPro, the parent
company of CLTC.
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sprinklerregulationsraisealarm:proposedregsrequiresystemsin...-a0161842087
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