Emergency plan rules in South Dakota

The facility must be constructed, arranged, equipped, maintained and operated to avoid undue danger to occupants from fire, smoke, fumes or resulting panic during the period of time reasonably necessary for escape in case of fire or other emergency.

At least two personnel must be on duty at all times, unless the Department has approved a staffing exception requested by the facility. In a multilevel facility, at least one staff member must be on duty on each floor with occupied beds.

The facility must meet the applicable fire safety standards in NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, 2012 edition, chapter 32 or 33.

Report to the Department through its online reporting system within 24 hours of discovering a missing resident, a fire in the facility, or a loss for more than 24 hours of utilities, the emergency generator, the fire alarm, sprinklers or other critical equipment. Investigate internally and report the results to the Department no later than five working days after the event.

All healthcare personnel must complete orientation within thirty days of hire, and ongoing education must cover the required subjects annually. The subjects include fire prevention and response, and emergency procedures and preparedness.

If the center has a memory care unit, each locked door must conform to § 18.2.2.2.5 and § 19.2.2.2.5 of NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, 2012 edition. Staff assigned to the unit need training specific to its residents, and at least one caregiver must be on duty on the unit at all times.

Temperatures must be kept between 68 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit during waking hours and not lower than 64 degrees Fahrenheit during sleeping hours.

The construction rules require a facility with 17 or more beds to have emergency electrical service with an automatic generator set and automatic transfer switches serving emergency panels. Whether this applies to an existing building has not been verified.