Is your family member a nursing home resident? If so, you may want to check with the facility to make sure that it has proper fire safety systems in place.
Your loved one deserves protection from premises liability issues, like fires, when he or she is in a vulnerable position, as most nursing home residents are. Unfortunately, many nursing home facilities around the country are failing to take accurate measures to prevent widespread fires.
According to the Associated Press, despite having an August 2013 federally mandated guideline to have fire sprinkler systems in place, 385 facilities in 39 states have failed to meet requirements set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The inadequate systems include those that do not function properly and are broken or do not meet the demands related to the number of people being housed at the facility. Additionally, the AP reported that 44 facilities across the country do not have sprinkler systems at all.
Shockingly, this means that tens of thousands of nursing home residents across the country are living in facilities without adequate sprinkler systems.
The sprinkler guidelines were set after two 2003 nursing home fires in Hartford, Connecticut and Nashville, Tennessee killed more than 30 people.
Can I Speak to an Attorney If My Loved One Is Injured in a Nursing Home?
Remember, nursing homes have a duty to protect your loved one from premises liability issues. The failure to maintain adequate safety standards at a facility could result in fires, slip-and-falls and sexual assaults.
Speak with an attorney at our firm if your loved one has suffered injuries or died because of oversights and neglect in a nursing home. We can investigate your case and determine if you may be entitled to compensation.
Additionally, you can visit our Facebook and Twitter pages for more information.
Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.
Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia Injury Attorneys
Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/58485665-68/facilities-homes-nursing-cms.html.csp