Smoking in Nursing Homes Can Be Fatal
Posted by
Dan FrithAugust 28, 2008 3:52 PMThe stories are in our newspapers and on the television every year or so. A fire breaks out at a local nursing home, most likely caused by a carelessly handled cigarette, and multiple residents lose thier lives and the facility suffers great damage!
The examples are numerous:
1. On May 14, 2008, two men were pronounced dead of apparent smoke inhalation following a nursing home fire at the Hamtpon Plaza in Niles, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The fire was believed to have been caused from smoking materials stored in a closet, belonging to two residents who smoked.
2. In April of 2008 a fire broke out in Governor's Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center in Green Cove Springs, Florida. The fire claimed the lives of one resident and injured five patients and three staff members. The fire is believed to have been caused by the deceased victim smoking in bed while using an oxygen machine, allowing for rapid spread of the flames.
3. On December 30, 2007, Blues legend Weepin' Willie Robinson was the victim of a fire at Mount Pleasant Home in Boston, Massachusetts. The fire was the result of Robinson smoking in bed. He knew this was against policy, but would forget at times, and it cost him his life.
The lessons to learn if your loved on lives in a nursing home:
1. Make sure the facility has both fire and smoke detectors and sprinkler (fire suppression) systems.
2. Make sure the facility posts fire evacuation procedures and routes.
3. Ask whether the facility use fire-retardant on combustible materials.
4. Find out if the facility is checked, on an annual basis, by the local fire department.
5. Find out if the facility has a "no-smoking in bed" policy which is strictly enforced by the staff.
YOU MIGHT JUST SAVE A LOVED ONE'S LIFE!