Emergency plan rules in Washington

A written emergency preparedness plan covering fires, earthquakes, extreme cold, extreme heat, floods, infectious disease outbreaks, loss of power or water, and other events that may require sheltering in place, evacuation or other emergency measures. It must set out procedures for staff roles; identifying and locating residents; summoning emergency assistance and coordinating with first responders; communicating with staff, residents, residents' emergency contacts, state and local agencies, and the developmental disabilities and long-term care ombuds; maintaining resident care and treatment; essential needs and supplies including water, food, medications and personal care items; and alternative resident accommodations. It must include infection control procedures, covering PPE procurement, inventory, tracking, storage and rotation and a staffing and isolation or cohorting plan. A facility certified for memory care must address the needs of residents with dementia.

All employees are trained in the comprehensive emergency preparedness plan and staff procedures on hire, with an annual review thereafter, and the plan and procedures themselves must be reviewed and updated at least annually.

Maintain an adequate supply of personal protective equipment, including gloves, gowns, surgical masks, eye protection and NIOSH-approved respirators.

Residents and staff must be told where the emergency preparedness plan is kept.

Immediately report to the DSHS complaint resolution unit hotline, or by online report, any accidental or improper fire, any unusual incident that required implementation of the disaster plan (including any evacuation of all or part of the residents to another area or address), and any circumstance that threatens the continuation of services.

For every emergency evacuation drill the home records the names of the residents and staff who took part, who conducted the drill, the date and time, whether it was a full or a partial drill, and how long the evacuation took.

The home must be able to evacuate all residents from the home to a safe location outside in five minutes or less. When a resident refuses to take part in a drill, the refusal is documented in the negotiated care plan with an estimated evacuation time for that resident, and that time is added to the drill time on the log.

The home must have a written emergency and disaster plan to meet the needs of each resident during emergencies and disasters, including the fire drill plan for evacuation. All staff are trained on it when they begin work in the home, and all staff and residents review it at least annually.

Hot water temperature at all fixtures used by or accessible to residents must be at least 105°F and must not exceed 120°F. The rule sets the range; it does not say how often to check it.

Approved automatic smoke alarms must be installed and maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions. The rule sets no testing interval of its own.