59A-26.020. Disaster Preparedness

(1) Each licensee must have a written plan with procedures to be followed in the event of an internally or externally caused disaster or emergency event. The initiation, development, and maintenance of this plan must be the responsibility of the facility administrator, and must be reviewed and approved by the County Emergency Management Agency. The plan must be reviewed and approved annually and include the following:

(a) Basic information concerning the facility to include:

1. Name of the facility, address, telephone number, 24-hour contact number if different from the facility number, emergency contact telephone number, and fax number;

2. Name, address, and telephone number of the licensee;

3. The year facility was built, including type of construction;

4. Name, address, work, home and other available telephone numbers of the facility’s administrator;

5. Name, address, work, home and other available telephone numbers of persons implementing the provisions of this plan, if different from the administrator;

6. An organizational chart showing all positions with key emergency positions identified by title. The name and telephone numbers at home, work and any other available telephone number shall be included for these persons;

7. An organizational chart, if different from the previous chart required, identifying the hierarchy of authority in place during emergencies, and all positions on a day to day basis;

8. A description of the potential hazards that the facility is vulnerable to such as hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, fires, hazardous materials incidents or transportation accidents, proximity to a nuclear power plant, power outages during severe cold or hot weather, including procedures for each of these hazards; and,

9. A copy of the Fire Safety Plan as stated in the Life Safety Code.

(b) Site specific information concerning the facility to include:

1. Number of facility beds and maximum number of clients on site;

2. Type of clients served by the facility;

3. Identification of the flood zone within which the facility is located as indicated on a Flood Insurance Rate Map;

4. Identification of the hurricane evacuation zone within which the facility is located;

5. Proximity of the facility to a railroad or major transportation artery; and,

6. Whether the facility is located within the 10 or 50-mile emergency planning zone of a nuclear power plant. The 10 mile zone is called the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) and the 50 mile zone is called the Ingestion Pathway Zone (IPZ).

(c) Establish management functions, polices, and procedures for emergency operations that:

1. Identifies by name and title, who is in charge during an emergency, and one alternate, should that person be unable to serve in that capacity;

2. Identifies the chain of command to ensure continuous leadership and authority in key position;

3. Provides the procedures to ensure timely activation and staffing of the facility in emergency functions including any provisions for emergency workers’ families.

4. Provides the operational and support roles for all facility staff. This may be accomplished through the development of standard operating procedures which must be attached to this plan.

5. Provides procedures to ensure the following are supplied:

a. Food, water and sleeping arrangements;

b. The type of emergency power, natural gas, diesel or other. If natural gas, identify alternate means should loss of power occur that would affect the natural gas system. The capacity of the emergency fuel system shall be specified;

c. Transportation of clients, staff and supplies;

d. A 72 hour supply of all essential supplies and client medications; and,

e. 24-hour staffing on a continuing basis until the emergency has abated.

6. Provides procedures for the facility to receive timely information on impending threats and the alerting of facility decision makers, staff and clients to potential emergency conditions, which shall include:

a. Specification as to how the facility will receive warnings, to include, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays;

b. Identification of the facility’s 24-hour contact number, if different than the number listed in the introduction;

c. Specification as to how key staff will be alerted;

d. Procedures and policy for reporting to work for key workers;

e. Specification as to how clients will be alerted and the precautionary measures that will be taken;

f. Identification of the primary notification and the alternative means of notification should the primary system fail for on duty and off duty staff; and,

g. Identification of procedures for notifying the client’s representative that the facility is being evacuated, including contact information for continued communication.

7. Provides the policies, responsibilities and procedures for the evacuation of clients from the facility, which shall include:

a. Identification of the individual responsible for implementing facility evacuation procedures;

b. Identification and provision for transportation arrangements through mutual aid agreements that will be used to evacuate clients. These agreements must be in writing, and copies of these agreements must be submitted during plan review;

c. Description of transportation arrangements for logistical support to include moving records, medications, food, water, equipment and other necessities. The facility shall provide copies of agreements if transportation is provided by anyone other than the licensee;

d. Identification of the pre-determined locations to which clients will be evacuated;

e. A copy of the mutual aid agreement that has been entered into with a facility to receive clients. It must include name, address, telephone number and contact person for the host facility. It must include the number of evacuees to be sheltered, including clients, staff and family members;

f. Evacuation routes, maps, written instructions and secondary routes that will be used should the primary route be impassable;

g. Specification of the amount of time it will take to evacuate all clients successfully to the receiving facility;

h. Procedures that ensure facility staff will accompany evacuating clients;

i. Procedures that will be used to keep track of clients once they have been evacuated, which includes a log system;

j. Determination of the items and supplies and the amount of each that should accompany each client during the evacuation. This must provide for a minimum 72-hour stay, with provisions to extend this period of time if needed;

k. Procedures for notifying client representatives of evacuation;

l. Procedures for ensuring all clients are accounted for and are out of the facility;

m. Description when the facility will begin the pre-positioning of necessary medical supplies and provisions; and,

n. Description when and at what point the mutual aid agreements for transportation and the notification of alternative facilities will begin.

8. Procedures that specify prerequisites needed and the process for clients to re-enter the facility, which shall include:

a. Identification of the responsible person for authorizing re-entry;

b. Procedures for inspecting the facility to ensure it is structurally sound; and,

c. Identification as to how clients will be transported from the receiving facility back to their home facility and how the facility staff will receive accurate and timely data on re-entry operations.

9. Establish sheltering or hosting procedures that will be used once the evacuating clients arrive, if the facility is to be used as a receiving facility for an evacuating facility. These procedures shall include:

a. The receiving procedures for clients arriving from the evacuating facility;

b. Identification of the location where the additional clients will reside. The plan shall provide a floor plan, which identifies the room area where clients will be housed, room size, and number of clients per room or area;

c. Provision of additional food, water and medical needs of clients being hosted for a minimum of 72 hours;

d. Description of the procedures for ensuring 24-hour operations;

e. Description of the procedures for providing shelter for family members of key workers; and,

f. Procedures for tracking additional clients sheltered within the facility.

10. Identify the procedures for increasing employee awareness of possible emergency situations and provide training on the emergency roles before, during and after an emergency. Annually, the facility shall:

a. Identify how key workers will be instructed in their emergency roles during non-emergency times;

b. Provide a training schedule for all employees and identify the providers of the training;

c. Identify the provisions for training new employees regarding their disaster related roles; and,

d. Provide the schedule for exercising all or portions of the emergency plan on an annual basis with all staff and all shifts.

(d) If the licensee evacuates, the licensee must immediately, but within no more than 24 hours upon completion of evacuation, report to the Agency’s Long Term Care Unit in Tallahassee at [phone], the location and number of clients evacuated, and contact information for continued communication for the duration of the evacuation. In the event the Long Term Care Unit is unavailable to receive such information, the licensee shall contact the appropriate Agency field office.

Rulemaking Authority 400.967 FS. Law Implemented 400.967(2)(g) FS. History–New 12-21-15.