Fire safety first for NSW homes

A 2013 state government reform to improve fire safety in New South Wales aged care homes is making headway, according to recent figures.

All NSW aged care facilities were told to install sprinkler systems in response to the tragic 2011 fire at Quaker’s Hill Nursing Home, which killed 11 people and left eight others seriously injured.

The state’s Department of Planning and Environment released figures last week showing 120 aged care facilities have already installed the recommended devices, while 200 homes were yet to complete the task.

The program must be fully complete by March 2016, although some facilities opted to meet an earlier deadline of September 1 this year.

The state’s peak seniors advocacy group, the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA), has called out providers yet to install the safety feature.

CPSA manager of research and advocacy Amelia Christie said more than 73 per cent of homes instructed to retrofit their systems were dragging out the process, putting resident safety at risk.

“We are really concerned about the delays in the roll-out of sprinkler systems,” Ms Christie told The Sydney Morning Herald last week.

"We have seen how effective sprinklers are. They do save lives."

But a spokesperson from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment said they were pleased with the cooperation of the aged care sector regarding this important issue.

“Aged care providers are working hard to meet the March 2016 deadline and where there are issues, like a lack of qualified contractors in the area, we are working to identify solutions to deliver the upgrades as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.

Aged care provider SummitCare are fast-tracking ahead, with two facilities fitted out in June, another completed last week and their final five projects well underway.

SummitCare CEO Cynthia Payne said the organisation has made a $3 million commitment to retrofit sprinklers throughout its Sydney homes.

“This is a vital change in aged care to ensure a safer industry, and we anticipate completion of installation in all our facilities by early 2015, a full year ahead of the State government’s requirements,” Ms Payne said.