360

Part III Standards for Compliance BOX 26.1 Internal and External Emergencies

Emergencies can be either internal or external. Exam- ples of internal emergencies include the following: ●

●

Interruption of power or water within the facility Fire

● Bomb threat ● Sewer backup

●

Kitchen renovations (can trigger emergency-type operations and often provide a great learning experience for staff)

External emergencies may include the following: ●

Natural disasters: Drought

➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤

Earthquake Extreme heat Floods

Hurricanes

Landslide and debris flow Severe weather

Space weather (ie, natural processes in space that can affect the near-earth- environment, satellites, and space travel, such as magneto- spheric disturbances, solar coronal events)

➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤

Thunderstorms and lightning Tornadoes Tsunamis Volcanoes Wildfires

Winter storms and extreme cold Pandemic

● Technological and accidental hazards Blackouts

➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤

Hazardous material incidents Household chemical emergencies Nuclear power plants

● Terrorist hazards ➤➤

➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤ ➤➤

Biological threats Chemical threats Cyber attack Explosions

Nuclear blast Radiological dispersion device

Source: Eckstein L, ed; Dietetics in Health Care Communities Dietetics Practice Group; Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Emergency Management for the Healthcare Professional. Chicago, IL: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; 2012.

plan well for sheltering in place but fall short on evac- uating residents and staff.

Evacuation plans should include arranging transportation, securing a destination, and obtaining sufficient staff to evacuate with residents. Other con- siderations include having adequate supplies avail- able (including food and water) for the length of the trip and possible needs at the destination. Above all, preparation and training are paramount for any facil- ity to address an emergency situation. Again, this includes all staff members in all departments (2).

PLANNING AND PREPARATION FOR

HEALTH CARE FACILITIES The National Incident Management System defines preparedness as “a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluat- ing and taking corrective action in an effort to ensure effective coordination during incident response” (3,4).

The preparedness cycle, shown in Figure 26.2, illustrates the development and maintenance of an emergency operation plan.

Exercise Figure 26.2 The Preparedness Cycle

Evaluate/ improve

Plan

Preparedness cycle

Organize/ equip

Train

Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Depart- ment of Homeland Security. Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101: Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans, Version 2.0. Washington, DC; November 2010.