| Abstract: | The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is proposing to extend use of the new Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES) to all hospitals participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. We are seeking public comment on this proposal and on whether to apply the FSES to intermediate care and skilled nursing facilities. The Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES) was designed by the National Bureau of Standards. It defines the combinations of widely accepted fire safety systems and structural arrangements which can be used by health care facilities to meet safety standards equal to or exceeding those in the Life Safety Code. The FSES provides a framework which guarantees that the high standards of fire safety necessary to protect patients will be met and which is flexible enough to allow for new advances in safety technology and practice. It is based on our experience, which clearly demonstrates that the Life Safety Code can be implemented more effectively and without waste if certain changes are made in the procedures for achieving these mandated levels of safety. |
