F906: Provide enough power supply for lighting all entrances and exits; equipment for fire detection and alarm systems, and extinguishers
F906 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Provide enough power supply for lighting all entrances and exits; equipment for fire detection and alarm systems, and extinguishers.
It sits in CMS's environmental category.
CMS Health Deficiencies file, data as of September 1, 2026. The files hold each home's last three standard inspections and three years of complaint visits.
How seriously inspectors rate it
Every citation gets a letter for how much harm inspectors found and how many residents it touched (how to read the letters). 36.4% of F906 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: D 4, E 2, F 4, J 1.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F906 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, February 25, 2026, scope and severity FBased on interview and record review, the facility experienced a power failure related to an area wide power outage. The facility's backup generator failed to provide back up power for the facility as it is designed to do during a power outage. The facility failed to ensure the safety of all residents dependent on life-sustaining equipment related to inability to provide electricity to life sustaining devices during the power failure. The facility failed to document the generator was in working order by completed weekly testing and monthly testing under load to ensure the backup generators availability in an emergency.
Elevate Care Des Plaines, Des Plaines, IL
Inspectors wrote, June 11, 2025, scope and severity DBased on record review, observation, and interviews it was determined that the facility failed to ensure that critical medical equipment was plugged into generator power supplied outlets. This was evident for one (Resident #102) out of two residents reviewed for respiratory care.
Autumn Lake Healthcare at Birch Manor, Sykesville, MD
Inspectors wrote, May 22, 2025, scope and severity FBased on interview and record review, the facility failed to maintain an operable emergency electrical power system to ensure electrical power to life support systems in the event of a power outage, effecting all 82 residents in the facility.
The Villa at the Bay, Petoskey, MI
Most recent F906 citations at the harm or jeopardy level
Newest first, all 1 in the current files. Each home's page shows the citation in full context, with its correction status.
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 14, 2023 | Bridge Crest Post Acute | Vancouver, WA | J | Standard |
Most recent F906 citations
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 24, 2026 | Casa Coloma Health Care Center | Rancho Cordova, CA | D |
| February 25, 2026 | Elevate Care Des Plaines | Des Plaines, IL | F |
| June 11, 2025 | Autumn Lake Healthcare at Birch Manor | Sykesville, MD | D |
| May 22, 2025 | The Villa at the Bay | Petoskey, MI | F |
| December 27, 2024 | Tulare Healthcare & Wellness Center, LP | Tulare, CA | E |
| July 23, 2024 | Arbor Care Center-Valhaven, LLC | Valley, NE | F |
| July 17, 2024 | Life Care Center of Tucson | Tucson, AZ | E |
| July 2, 2024 | Berkley East Healthcare Center | Santa Monica, CA | D |
| January 23, 2024 | Noble Care Center | Stockton, CA | D |
| November 14, 2023 | Bridge Crest Post Acute | Vancouver, WA | J |
| August 5, 2022 | Butler Rehab and Healthcare Center | Butler, MO | F |
F906 citations by state
Counts depend on how many homes a state has and how often its inspectors visit, so a larger number is not by itself a worse record.
| State | Citations |
|---|---|
| California | 4 |
| Arizona | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| Missouri | 1 |
| Nebraska | 1 |
| Washington | 1 |
By inspection year: 2022 1, 2023 1, 2024 5, 2025 2, 2026 2.
Common questions
- What is F906 in a nursing home inspection?
- F906 is the federal requirement to "provide enough power supply for lighting all entrances and exits; equipment for fire detection and alarm systems, and extinguishers". CMS files it under environmental. A home cited under F906 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F906 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 11 F906 citations at 11 nursing homes, 2 of them in the 12 months to that date. 9.1% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F906 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F906 citations (90.9%) were rated as potential for more than minimal harm, D to F. 1 were immediate jeopardy, the most serious level.
The interpretive guidance inspectors use for each F-tag is CMS's State Operations Manual, Appendix PP. NursingHomeClear reports the citations as CMS records them and is not affiliated with CMS. All F-tags · Methodology