Emergency plan rules in Rhode Island
One license type researched, regulated by Rhode Island Department of Health. Every requirement below carries the rule that imposes it.
Assisted living / residential care
Licensed in Rhode Island as Assisted Living Residence, by Rhode Island Department of Health.
216-RICR-40-10-2 (Assisted Living Residences): § 2.4.22(A) (emergency and evacuation procedures); § 2.4.18 (reporting requirements); § 2.4.13 (staff orientation and in-service training); § 2.4.8(A) (license application); § 2.4.2(A)(3) (dementia care licensure level); § 2.4.20 (essential caregivers)
Drill frequency not verified. The assisted living rule (216-RICR-40-10-2) contains no drill requirement; drill obligations come through the Rhode Island Fire Safety Code, which has not been checked.
Open the RI Life Safety Code, 450-RICR-00-00-8 (https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/450-00-00-8), and the RI Fire Code, 450-RICR-00-00-7, and read the fire and emergency drill provisions that apply to assisted living occupancies (levels F1 and F2), including any frequency, shift or night-time requirement.
Incident documentation: no less than seven years after the event or incident. Resident records: seven years from the date of discharge. No retention period for drill records was found in the assisted living rule.
Each residence must have written procedures for residents in the event of temporary illness and emergencies. The procedures must include procedures for the evacuation of the premises.
216-RICR-40-10-2 § 2.4.22(A)Unscheduled implementation of the residence's fire, evacuation and/or disaster plan must be reported to the Department immediately by telephone, then followed up in writing on Department forms within three business days.
216-RICR-40-10-2 § 2.4.18(E)Any elopement of a resident that results in police being called must be reported in writing to the Department within 24 hours or by the end of the next business day.
216-RICR-40-10-2 § 2.4.18(F)New employees receive at least two hours of orientation and training within ten days of hire, covering fire prevention, emergency preparedness and procedures, medical emergency procedures and resident elopement. In-service training follows at intervals not to exceed twelve months.
216-RICR-40-10-2 § 2.4.13(G)(1), (H)(1)A residence licensed at the dementia care level must hold F1 – M1 status and must provide for a secure environment appropriate for the resident population.
216-RICR-40-10-2 § 2.4.2(A)(3)During a declared disaster emergency, each residence must allow a resident to designate an individual as the resident's essential caregiver. This applies from 15 days after the declaration until 60 days after it ends.
216-RICR-40-10-2 § 2.4.20(A)–(B)A Rhode Island assisted living license application must contain affirmative evidence of the ability to comply with the Act, the regulations, and federal, state and local laws, including fire and safety codes.
216-RICR-40-10-2 § 2.4.8(A)- Rhode Island licenses assisted living at fire-safety level F1 (residents not capable of self-preservation) or F2 (residents capable of self-preservation); the dementia care level requires F1 – M1 status.
- drills — Open the RI Life Safety Code, 450-RICR-00-00-8 (https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/450-00-00-8), and the RI Fire Code, 450-RICR-00-00-7, and read the fire and emergency drill provisions that apply to assisted living occupancies (levels F1 and F2), including any frequency, shift or night-time requirement.
Reviewed 2026-09-28
What this page is
The requirements Rhode Island places on a facility emergency preparedness plan, taken from the state’s own rules rather than a national template. Where we have confirmed something against primary text it is stated plainly; where we have not, it says so and names what to check. Nothing here is inferred from what other states do.
The part that is the same everywhere
The federal layer does not vary by state, and it is narrower than it is usually described. OSHA 29 CFR §1910.38 does not bind every employer on its own — by its applicability paragraph it governs an emergency action plan whenever another OSHA standard requires the employer to have one, and it then settles what that plan must contain. The CMS emergency preparedness rule applies by certified provider type rather than by building. That layer, plus the exit-route, alarm and first-aid rules and the fire code’s plan structure, is covered in the main crash course rather than repeated on all fifty state pages.
Write the plan
The Emergency Plan Builder produces the document itself. It reads the same research as this page, but it does not yet carry every requirement here into the plan it writes, so check the plan against this page before you rely on it for Rhode Island. The Compliance Calendar puts the drills and inspections on dates.