Nursing home fires in Hartford, Connecticut, and Nashville, Tennessee, last year killed 31 residents. As old facilities grandfathered from federal fire-safety standards on new facilities, neither had sprinkler systems. The GAO has called for the federal government to work with the National Fire Protection Association to strengthen fire-safety standards and to improve oversight of nursing home fire safety, such as by reviewing exemptions granted to facilities without sprinklers.Gao04660_FireSafety1004.pdf