New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 3A - CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Chapter 54 - MANUAL OF REQUIREMENTS FOR FAMILY CHILD CARE REGISTRATION
Subchapter 6 - SAFETY, HEALTH, AND PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR PROVIDERS
Section 3A:54-6.4 - Emergency preparedness

Universal Citation: NJ Admin Code 3A:54-6.4

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024

(a) The provider shall maintain and post in a prominent location a written plan for the emergency evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place, or lockdown of the children in the event of natural or civil disaster or other emergency, which shall include:

1. The location of the first aid kit and any additional first aid supplies;

2. An anticipated relocation site able to provide adequate, safe shelter for providers and enrolled children;

3. The hospital or clinic to which injured or ill children will be taken;

4. The telephone numbers for obtaining police, fire, ambulance, and poison control services; including the National Poison Emergency Hotline at (800) 222-1222;

5. The location of written authorization from parent(s) for emergency medical care for each child;

6. A diagram showing how the home is to be evacuated in case of emergency;

7. Procedures for notifying each childs parent of the relocation, shelter-in-place, or lockdown, including the procedures for communicating with each parent before and during the emergency and ensuring family reunification after the emergency;

8. The local law enforcement agency or emergency management office to be notified of the providers identifying information as required in (b) below;

9. The procedure for obtaining emergency transportation for children, including those with special needs; and

10. Procedures to address the needs of the individual children; such as assistance for infants, toddlers, and children with special needs or chronic medical conditions.

(b) In the event of an evacuation, shelter-in-place, or lockdown, the registered family child care provider shall notify the appropriate local law enforcement agency or emergency management office of:

1. The name of the family child care provider;

2. The location of the family child care home;

3. The number of children, age, and special needs, if any, of each child enrolled and each child residing in the home;

4. The number of adults in the home;

5. The need for emergency transportation;

6. The location to which children will be evacuated;

7. The plan for shelter-in-place;

8. The plan for a lockdown; and

9. The plan for reuniting each child with his or her parents.

(c) The provider shall practice fire, shelter-in-place, lockdown , and evacuation drills with each child from all exit locations at varied times of day and during varied activities, including nap-time. Documentation of the fire, shelter-in-place, lockdown , and evacuation drills shall include the type of drill simulated, date, start time, total amount of time taken to evacuate the home for the evacuation drill, total amount of time taken after warning is issued to direct movement of providers and children to location for shelter-in-place and lockdown drills, and the number of children and providers present for each drill.

1. When multiple shifts of care are provided, such drills must be conducted monthly during each shift of care;

2. The provider shall ensure that all children present are evacuated from the home within three minutes during each fire drill;

3. Outdoor assembly areas shall be located a safe distance from the home as to avoid interference with fire department operations in the event of a fire;

4. The provider shall have a warning system (for example, loud bell or whistle), to alert occupants of the home of an emergency or drill;

5. The provider shall implement and document a monthly practice for the evacuation and relocation drills;

6. The provider shall implement and document two shelter-in-place and two lockdown drills per year; and

7. The provider shall maintain a 72-hour emergency supply, including food, water, medications (if applicable), first aid, and other safety equipment, as needed, to allow for the protection of the health and safety of children, in the event parents are unable to pick up their children due to a disaster. Food supplies shall be non-perishable and of sufficient quantity for all children for an overnight stay.

(d) The provider shall ensure that:

1. At least one working smoke detector is installed on each floor of the home. If smoke detectors operate from electric power within the home, such detectors must have a battery-powered back-up energy source;

2. All interior doors that can be locked from the inside have a means to be unlocked from the outside in case of emergency;

3. All heating or cooling devices are adequately vented, protected by guards or barriers and kept clear of combustible materials;

4. Wood or wood pellet, coal burning stoves, and fireplaces have protective barriers and are not accessible to children;

5. Portable electric space heaters and portable liquid fuel-burning heating appliances are not in use when children are in care;

6. Radiators and pipes located in rooms occupied by children are covered when the heating system is in use; and

7. Stairways, hallways, and exits from rooms and from the home are unobstructed, except for safety barriers.
i. Each room used for child care has at least two means of egress.

ii. Egress doors from the residence shall be readily operable from the egress side without the operation of a key.

iii. A means of egress shall be free of obstructions that would prevent its use, including the accumulation of ice and snow.

iv. The second means of egress may be an unobstructed, operable window not less than 820 square inches and large enough to allow all adults and children to escape.

v. The provider shall not allow rest and sleep in a basement unless there are two approved means of egress that meet the provisions of the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code (NJUCC) and the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code as specified in N.J.A.C. 5:70.

vi. Security bars, when present, must be hinged with a quick release mechanism inside the home that requires one motion to operate.

vii. Every stairway is maintained free of obstructions and provides safe passage.

viii. Stairways within the exits with four or more steps have a railing;

8. Electrical cords are maintained in good condition;

9. Major appliances shall be plugged directly into electric outlets; and

10. Approved carbon monoxide detectors shall be located and installed on every level in the family child care home in accordance with the provisions of the State codes and guidelines.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Jersey may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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