Current through Register Vol. 41, No. 3, September 23, 2024
A. The center shall develop an emergency
preparedness and response plan that shall address:
1. Documentation of initial and annual
contact with the local emergency coordinator to determine (i) local disaster
risks, (ii) community wide plans to address different disasters and emergency
situations, and (iii) assistance, if any, that the local emergency management
office will provide to the center in an emergency.
2. Analysis of the center's potential
hazards, including severe weather, biohazard events, fire, loss of utilities,
flooding, work place violence or terrorism, severe injuries, or other
emergencies that would disrupt normal operation of the center.
3. Emergency management policies and
procedures for the provision of:
a.
Administrative direction and management of response activities;
b. Coordination of logistics during the
emergency;
c.
Communications;
d. Life safety of
participants, staff, volunteers, and visitors;
e. Property protection;
f. Continued services to
participants;
g. Community resource
accessibility; and
h. Recovery and
restoration.
4.
Emergency response procedures for assessing the situation; protecting
participants, staff, volunteers, visitors, equipment, medications, and vital
records; and restoring services. Emergency response procedures shall address:
a. Alerting emergency personnel and center
staff;
b. Warning and notification
of participants, including sounding of alarms when appropriate;
c. Providing emergency access to secure areas
and opening locked doors;
d.
Conducting evacuations and sheltering in place, as appropriate, and accounting
for all participants;
e. Locating
and shutting off utilities when necessary;
f. Maintaining and operating emergency
equipment effectively and safely;
g. Communicating with staff and community
emergency responders during the emergency;
h. Conducting relocations to emergency
shelters or alternative sites when necessary and accounting for all
participants; and
i. Strategies for
reunification of participants with their family or legal
representative.
5.
Supporting documents that would be needed in an emergency, including emergency
call lists, building and site maps necessary to shut off utilities, and as
applicable, memoranda of understanding with relocation sites and list of major
resources such as suppliers of emergency equipment.
B. Staff and volunteers shall be
knowledgeable in and prepared to implement the emergency preparedness plan in
the event of an emergency.
C. The
center shall develop and implement an orientation and semi-annual review on the
emergency preparedness and response plan for all staff, participants, and
volunteers with emphasis placed on an individual's respective responsibilities,
except that for participants, the orientation and review may be limited to only
subdivisions 1 and 2 of this subsection. The review shall be documented by
signing and dating. The orientation and review shall cover responsibilities
for:
1. Alerting emergency personnel and
sounding alarms;
2. Implementing
evacuation, shelter in place, and relocation procedures;
3. Using, maintaining, and operating
emergency equipment;
4. Accessing
emergency medical information, equipment, and medications for
participants;
5. Locating and
shutting off utilities; and
6.
Utilizing community support services.
D. The center shall review the emergency
preparedness [ and response ] plan annually or more often as needed, document
the review by signing and dating the plan, and make necessary revisions. Such
revisions shall be communicated to staff, participants, and volunteers and
incorporated into the orientation and semi-annual review.
E. In the event of a disaster, fire,
emergency, or any other condition that may jeopardize the health, safety, and
welfare of participants, the center shall take appropriate action to protect
the participants and to remedy the conditions as soon as possible.
F. After the disaster or emergency is
stabilized, the center shall:
1. Notify [
participants, ] family members and legal representatives; and
2. Report the disaster or emergency to the
regional licensing office as specified in 22VAC40-61-90.
Statutory Authority: §
63.2-1733
of the Code of Virginia.
