JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Governor Matt Blunt is seeking to require all assisted living facilities and residential care facilities to be outfitted with sprinkler systems. The proposal comes after Blunt received a report by the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the Department of Mental Health (DMH) on the state’s fire safety laws and regulations.
The report, which Blunt requested after a Nov. 27 fire in the Anderson Guest House in Anderson, Mo., killed 11 people, made 11 recommendations, one of which called for the creation of stricter standards for electrical wiring. The state fire marshal’s office believes improper wiring was the cause of the fire in the privately run facility.
According to an Associated Press analysis of inspection citations provided by the DHSS, Missouri’s residential care facilities have been hit with more than 1,500 fire safety violations in the past four years, with state inspectors finding problems year after year at many of those homes.
