California fire drill log

Q: Who do I notify about fire drills in California?

Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE): California does not file the plan with a single agency — it imposes a DISTRIBUTION duty instead. The written plan must be made available on request to residents onsite, any responsible party for a resident, the local long-term care ombudsman, and local emergency responders. The plan is also subject to review by the Department. Local-authority review is encouraged but not required. (On request to residents, responsible parties, the local long-term care ombudsman and local emergency responders)

Disaster drills at least every six months.

The building

California requirements loaded — the rules below are California’s own.

Facility name *Year

Address

State *License type

California — Adult Day Program: Disaster drills at least every six months.22 CCR §82023 · California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing · checked Jul 2026

Your target for the year

2 drills this year. 2 a year under the state rule.

Worked out from California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing's rule as we have it recorded. Confirm it against your licence before you rely on it — then leave the box below empty and we will keep using this number.

Use a different number instead

0 of 2 logged, 2 to go.

The drills

One row per drill. Vary the time of day and the scenario — most states require it explicitly, and a log showing four drills all at 10am on a Tuesday is the first thing a surveyor notices.

DateTimeShiftAnnounced?

ScenarioClear / accounted (min)StaffResidents

What went wrongWhat was done about itConducted by

What California requires

Adult Day Program — Adult day center

Disaster drills at least every six months.

22 CCR §82023 · California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing · 22 CCR §82023 · checked July 2026

Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) — Assisted living / residential care

A drill at least quarterly for each shift, and the type of emergency covered must VARY from quarter to quarter. Actual evacuation of residents is not required and residents may not be compelled to participate. Documentation must record the date, the type of emergency drilled, and the names of the staff who took part.

Cal. Health & Safety Code §1569.695; 22 CCR §87212 (Emergency Disaster Plan) · California Dept. of Social Services — Community Care Licensing · Cal. Health & Safety Code §1569.695(c) · checked July 2026Who to notify: California does not file the plan with a single agency — it imposes a DISTRIBUTION duty instead. The written plan must be made available on request to residents onsite, any responsible party for a resident, the local long-term care ombudsman, and local emergency responders. The plan is also subject to review by the Department. Local-authority review is encouraged but not required. (On request to residents, responsible parties, the local long-term care ombudsman and local emergency responders)State form: LIC 610E

Filling it in so it survives a survey

Vary the time and the scenario between drills — most states require it in terms, and a log showing every drill at 10am on a Tuesday is the first thing an experienced surveyor picks out. Record what went wrong and the date it was fixed: a run of flawless drills reads as a log nobody actually ran, and the corrective action is the part that shows the drill was worth holding.

The plan behind the drills

A drill tests a plan. Everything California requires of that plan — filing, prescribed forms, retention — sits alongside this, and the emergency plan builder writes it from the same research, so the two cannot disagree.

Everything else we’ve researched about California

Same state, the problems either side of this one. Each carries its own statute and the date we last checked it.

General information, not legal advice, and not a compliance determination. CompliMaint issues nothing — California’s licensing agency and your authority having jurisdiction do. The rule above is cited and dated to when we last checked it; verify it before you rely on it.