Disaster Preparedness

(1) Physical Facility and Community Emergency Plans. (a) Every birthing center shall have a current internal emergency plan, or plans, that provides for fires, bomb threats, severe weather, utility service failures, plus any local high risk situations such as floods, earthquakes, toxic fumes and chemical spills. (b) The plan(s) must include provisions for the relocation of persons within the building and/or either partial or full building evacuation. Plans that provide for the relocation of patients to other healthcare facilities must have written agreements for emergency transfers. Their agreements may be mutual, i.e., providing for transfer either way. (c) Copies of the plan(s), either complete or outlines, shall be available to all staff. Provisions that have security implications may be omitted from the outline versions. Familiarization information shall be included in employee orientation sessions and more detailed instructions must be included in continuing education programs. Records of orientation and education programs must be maintained for at least three (3) years. (d) Drills of the fire safety plan shall be conducted at least once a year on each major work shift, for a minimum of three times a year for each facility. A combined drill of the other internal emergency plans shall be conducted at least once a year. The risk focus may vary by drill. Both types of drills are for the purposes of educating staff, resource determination, testing personal safety provisions and communications with other facilities and community agencies. Records which document and evaluate these drills must be maintained for at least three (3) years. (e) As soon as possible, real situations that result in a response by local authorities must be documented. This includes a critique of the activation of the plan. Actual documented situations that provided educational and training value may be substituted for a drill. (2) Emergency Planning with Local Government Authorities. (a) All birthing centers shall establish and maintain communications with the county Emergency Management Agency. This includes the provision of the information and procedures that are needed for the local comprehensive emergency plan. The birthing centers shall cooperate, to the extent possible, in area disaster drills and local emergency situations. (b) Each birthing center shall conduct both the physical facility and community emergency drills as required in these regulations, even if the local Emergency Management Agency is unable to participate. STANDARDS FOR BIRTHING CENTERS CHAPTER 0720-25 (c) A file of documents demonstrating communications and cooperation with the local agency must be maintained.