Attached is the link to the CMS Final Rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Fire Safety Requirements for Long Term Care Facilities, Automatic Sprinkler Systems, published Wednesday, August 13, 2008, in the Federal Register.

The Final Rule includes a 5-year phase-in, requiring all nursing facilities to be fully equipped with approved, supervised automatic, sprinkler systems by August 13, 2013, in accordance with the 1999 edition of NFPA, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems.

        + "Approved means acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction [from the 2000 edition of NFPA 101, the LSC];
        + Automatic means that which provides a function without the necessity of human intervention [from the 2000 edition of             NFPA 101, the LSC];
        + Supervised means that the system and particular components of the system are monitored by a device with auditory and       visual signals that are capable of alerting facility staff should the system or one of its components become inoperable for any reason [adapted from the 1999 edition of NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems]."

The Rule amends 483.70-Physical Environment to add a new paragraph: (a)(8).
Facilities are required to test, inspect, and maintain their systems once installed [in accordance with the 1998 edition NFPA 25]. Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Migration Systems]. CMS anticipates quarterly inspections, with an assumption of 4 hours to complete at a cost of $150 per inspection; and annual trip tests, with an assumption of 6 hours to complete, at a cost of $250.
Facilities will be required to maintain documentation of all inspection, maintenance, and testing activities.
As expected, there is no provision for financial assistance provided in conjunction with the federal mandate for sprinkler system installation.