Advocacy in Action (August 2025): Fire Safety Saves Lives
July 31, 2025
On a July night in Massachusetts, flames tore through Gabriel House, an assisted living facility. The fire claimed the lives of nine residents and injured more than 30. Survivors described heartbreaking scenes: residents leaning out of windows, screaming for help as staff members fled. Many were rescued only by the bravery of firefighters, neighbors, and police officers who broke down doors and carried people to safety.
Despite the building having a sprinkler system, fire drills had not been conducted, elevators were broken, and residents with mobility limitations were trapped.
A field supervision with Massachusetts’s long-term care ombudsman pled with the state to investigate Gabriel House’s faulty elevator. He was met with excuse after excuse.
In 2024, a fire at Brandon Woods senior living facility in Lawrence, Kansas forced the evacuation of 85 residents. Dense smoke filled the structure, and a passerby was the first to call 911 and begin evacuating residents. Mutual aid from surrounding counties was called in, and a Lawrence police officer was hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Thankfully, no residents were hurt — this time.
These two incidents tell a clear story: fire safety inspections and emergency preparedness are not optional. They save lives.
And yet, during the 2024-2025 legislative session, a bill was introduced in the Kansas Senate that would have eliminated minimum fire safety standards for 720 adult care homes and provider locations
across the state. Senate Bill 276
(SB 276) would have removed the authority of the State Fire Marshal to inspect these facilities or enforce compliance, a move KABC calls a recipe for disaster.
KABC strongly opposed SB 276 because it would have stripped the State Fire Marshal of its vital role in inspecting facilities, identifying hazards, and ensuring life safety codes are followed. While the bill allowed for the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) to contract with the Fire Marshal’s office, it did not require it, leaving oversight optional and dangerously unclear.
Worse still, KDADS is already chronically understaffed. Its surveyors, who are not trained in fire safety, are struggling to meet existing inspection requirements, often with only half the staff needed.
By contrast, State Fire Marshal inspectors are specifically trained to identify fire code violations and help facilities improve safety before tragedy strikes
Fire and burns are the sixth leading cause of death for older adults
in the U.S. In long-term care settings:
- Cooking is the leading cause of fires (72%)
- Faulty appliances and electrical systems follow closely
- Smoking remains the leading cause of death from fires
Due to diligent oversight, Kansas has had only two fire-related deaths in adult care homes over the past decade. That record could be reversed if oversight is weakened.
Families who entrust care homes with their loved ones do so with the belief that these facilities are regularly inspected, meet state and national safety codes, and are prepared for emergencies.
At KABC, we believe every older adult deserves safe, dignified care and that includes protection from preventable tragedies like fires. As we approach the 2026 legislative session, we anticipate this dangerous proposal could return and we’ll be prepared.
Sabrina shares her mother’s move from assisted living to long-term care during COVID-19, revealing challenges, sudden changes, and financial planning.
Inside Kansas Nursing Homes: A Special Series Returns in Honor of KABC’s 50th Anniversary In celebration of Kansas Advocates for Better Care’s 50th anniversary, we are proud to reintroduce a powerful special series from our early days as Kansans for Improvement of Nursing Homes. Originally launched in the mid-1980s, Inside Kansas Nursing Homes: Through the Eyes of the Experts offered an unflinching look at nursing home care across Kansas, as observed by those who know it best: the relatives, friends, residents, and caregivers of residents. Now, nearly four decades later, we are bringing this vital series back, with the same grassroots spirit and commitment to truth. This first issue of Volume One marks the beginning of our updated report on the current state of nursing home care in Kansas, informed by the honest voices of frequent visitors who witness daily life inside these facilities. Since April 2025, we have been gathering recorded and transcribed conversations with individuals who care deeply about their loved ones in long-term care. These candid reflections are edited to preserve confidentiality—identifying details are removed, names are changed, and nursing homes are referred to by assigned numbers and regions. Mentions of facilities in passing are designated with alphabetical letters (e.g., Nursing Home A). Over the next year, we aim to gather insights on at least 40 to 50 percent of Kansas’s 305 nursing homes. Volume One of this series, covering roughly 40 homes, will be released in serial form over the coming weeks. Through these voices, we invite readers to reflect, question, and advocate, just as we did in the 1980s. Because meaningful change begins when we listen.