Disaster Preparedness

Section 225 Section 225.1060  Disaster Preparedness a)         For the purpose of this Section only, "disaster" means an occurrence, as a result of a natural force or mechanical failure such as water, wind or fire, or a lack of essential resources such as electrical power, that poses a threat to the safety and welfare of residents, personnel, and others present in the facility. b)         The facility shall have policies covering disaster preparedness, including a written plan for staff, residents and others to follow.  The plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 1)         All personnel employed on the premises shall be properly instructed in the use of fire extinguishers. 2)         A diagram of the evacuation route shall be posted and made familiar to all personnel employed on the premises. 3)         A written plan shall be developed for moving residents to safe locations within the facility in the event of a tornado warning or severe thunderstorm warning. 4)         There shall be an established means of facility notification when the National Weather Service issues a tornado or severe thunderstorm warning that covers the area in which the facility is located.  The notification mechanism must be other than commercial radio or television.  Approved notification measures include being within range of local tornado warning sirens, an operable National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio in the facility or arrangements with local public safety agencies (police, fire, ESDA) to be notified if a warning is issued. c)         Fire drills shall be held at least quarterly for each shift of facility personnel.  Disaster drills for other than fire shall be held twice annually for each shift of facility personnel. Drills shall be held under varied conditions to: 1)         Ensure that all personnel on all shifts are trained to perform assigned tasks; 2)         Ensure that all personnel on all shifts are familiar with the use of the fire fighting equipment in the facility; and 3)         Evaluate the effectiveness of disaster plans and procedures. d)         Fire drills shall include simulation of evacuation of residents to safe areas during at least one drill each year on each shift. e)         There shall be special provisions for the evacuation of  physically handicapped persons, including those who are hearing or sight impaired. f)         Where the welfare of the residents precludes an actual evacuation of an entire building, there must be drills involving the evacuation of successive portions of the building under such conditions as to assure the capability of evacuating the entire building with the personnel usually available, should the need arise. g)         A written evaluation of each drill shall be submitted to the facility administrator and shall be maintained for one year. h)         A written plan shall be developed for temporarily relocating the residents for any disaster requiring relocation and any time the temperature in residents' bedrooms falls below 55º F for 12 hours or more. i)          Reporting of Disasters 1)         Upon the occurrence of any disaster requiring hospital service, police, fire department or coroner, the facility administrator or designee must provide a preliminary report to the Department either by using the Central Complaint Registry or by directly contacting the Department during business hours.  This preliminary report shall include, at a minimum: A)        name and location of facility; B)        type of disaster; C)        number of injuries or deaths to residents; D)        number of beds not usable due to the occurrence; E)        estimate of the extent of damages to the facility; F)         type of assistance needed, if any; and G)        other State or local agencies notified about the problem. 2)         If the disaster will not require direct Departmental assistance, the facility shall provide the preliminary report within 24 hours after the occurrence. Additionally, the facility shall submit a full written account to the Department within seven days after the occurrence, which includes the information specified in subsection (i)(1) of this Section and a statement of actions taken by the facility after the preliminary report. j)          The facility shall establish and implement policies and procedures in a written plan to provide for the health, safety, welfare and comfort of all residents when the heat index/apparent temperature (see Section 225.Table A), as established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, inside the residents' living, dining, activities, or sleeping areas of the facility exceeds a heat index/apparent temperature of 80º F.