Emergency plan rules in North Dakota

A current, written emergency disaster plan that contains a plan for evacuation, addresses elements of sheltering in place, identifies temporary relocation sites, and details staff assignments in the event of a disaster or an emergency.

The emergency disaster plan must be readily available for review by any tenant, family member, or emergency responder.

Emergency illumination must be provided for not less than one and one-half hours if normal lighting fails. The rule exempts a facility where every unit has a direct exit at ground level.

Each resident shall receive an individual fire drill walk-through within five days of admission, and the resident's record documents it.

A basic care resident must be capable of self-preservation, and the resident's condition may not require continuous, twenty-four-hour-a-day onsite availability of nursing or medical care.

Fire evacuation plans must be posted. The plan identifies the assembly point residents and staff go to during a fire drill.

Keep a written record of each fire drill: date, time, duration, staff and residents participating, who was absent and why, and a description of the drill including the escape path used and the simulated call to the fire department.

Any variation from the fire safety requirements must be approved in writing by the department.

Once a year, in-service training for all employees must cover at least fire and accident prevention and safety.

Written policies must include protocols for serious health-threatening conditions, emergencies and temporary illnesses, providing for a designated practitioner and notification of a licensed professional. Policies are signed, dated, reviewed annually and revised as necessary.

A basic care facility needs written department approval before providing Alzheimer's, dementia, special memory care or traumatic brain injury services. Residents in a secured facility or unit must still be capable of self-preservation and must have access to a secured outdoor space.