Sunrise of Mercer Island

The August 2025 inspection identified 26 fire safety violations including missing documentation for annual fire door inspections, smoke dampers, and sprinkler system testing; fire doors failing to latch properly; unsecured compressed gas cylinders; and multiple penetrations in fire-rated construction. The facility demonstrated a good response by correcting 16 of 26 violations before the follow-up inspection and addressing critical life-safety issues such as electrical hazards, obstructed exits, and fire extinguisher placement. The January 2026 inspection confirmed all remaining violations were corrected and the facility achieved approved status, though the pattern of missing maintenance documentation and fire-rated construction deficiencies indicated systemic gaps in preventive compliance protocols that required comprehensive remediation. While no immediate resident harm occurred, the cumulative nature of fire protection system deficiencies represented moderate safety risk until corrected.

This is a follow-up fire safety inspection by the Washington State Fire Marshal for a residential care facility. The inspection confirmed that all violations noted during previous related inspections have been corrected, with no new violations found. The facility demonstrated appropriate corrective action and compliance with fire protection requirements, resulting in approved status.

The facility employed a staff member (Memory Care Director/Medication Aide) who worked for 329 days without completing required 70-hour basic training or obtaining Home Care Aide certification within the mandatory 200-day timeframe, placing all 60 residents at risk of receiving care from inadequately credentialed staff. The facility's leadership was unaware of the compliance gap, indicating oversight deficiencies. The facility responded appropriately by acknowledging the violation, submitting a plan of correction, and successfully completing remediation as verified by follow-up inspection on 08/22/2025 with no deficiencies found.

The facility had recurring and uncorrected training deficiencies affecting six staff members and pet vaccination violations, both previously cited in March and May 2025, placing 60 residents at risk of unmet care needs and potential illness. Despite two prior opportunities to correct these issues, the facility failed to achieve compliance, resulting in $1,400 in civil fines. The facility's inadequate response to repeated citations demonstrates a pattern of non-compliance with minimal corrective action. While the violations are serious procedural failures, they represent moderate-level issues without documented immediate harm to residents.

This follow-up inspection revealed six uncorrected deficiencies from a prior March 19, 2025 citation, including incomplete resident assessments (9 residents), unsecured bed rail creating entrapment hazard, missing nurse delegation documentation, incomplete staff training (6 staff), inadequate water temperatures at two sinks, and one pet lacking current vaccinations. The facility's failure to correct previously cited violations demonstrates a pattern of non-compliance across multiple care areas affecting all 59 residents, resulting in $2,300 in civil fines. The facility's response was inadequate, as evidenced by the persistence of all six deficiencies over approximately six weeks, indicating insufficient corrective action implementation despite prior notification and regulatory oversight.