Important Information for #OKfire

Fire & Life Safety Practices for Assisted Living/Residential Care Facilities & Memory Care Units

FIRE/EVACUATION DRILLS

Policy
Emergency evacuation drills shall be conducted on each shift to familiarize facility staff and residents with the signals and emergency action required under varied conditions.

Assisted living/residential care & memory care unit residents have, in large part, varied degrees of disability and their evacuation from the facility may require various levels of staff assistance. Recognizing that there might be certain operational necessities to the contrary, fire exit drills may be disturbing or cause resident’s anxiety. Fire exit drills are required and all residents are required to participate in accordance with their individual capabilities. NOTE: Allowing or encouraging residents to ignore or otherwise not participate during fire exit drills is inconsistent with these requirements.
1. Fire drills in assisted living/residential care facilities & memory care units shall include the transmission of a fire alarm signal and simulation of emergency fire conditions.
a. Drills shall be conducted not less than two times per year on each shift to familiarize facility staff and residents with the signals and emergency action required under varied conditions.
b. Fire drills and fire drill critiques shall not be considered as employee in-service training.
2. Resident Participation Emergency evacuation drills shall involve the actual evacuation of residents to a selected assembly point and shall provide residents with experience exiting through approved required exits. Within each year all required exits shall be used during drills.
3. Records shall be maintained of required fire/evacuation drills and include the following information
a. Identity of the person conducting the drill.
b. Date and time of the drills.
c. Notification method used.
d. Staff members on duty and participating.
e. Number of occupants relocated/evacuated or simulated.
f. Special conditions simulated.
g. Problems encountered.
h. Weather conditions when occupants were evacuated.
i. Time required to accomplish complete relocation/evacuation.
j. All residents and other building occupants shall be accounted for during fire/evacuation drills.
4. Fire drill/evacuation procedures.
a. The purpose of the fire drill is to test facility staff and residents in the following:
(1) Efficiency
(2) Knowledge
(3) Response to Fire Emergencies
b. Fire drill procedures are the same as for a real fire.
c. Fire drills shall be held at unexpected times and on a random basis. Fire drills shall be conducted under varying circumstances, simulating actual fire conditions.
d. The person conducting the fire drill shall notify the fire alarm monitoring company PRIOR to the fire drill and again at COMPLETION of the fire drill.
e. A simulated fire (cloth, sign, etc.) with written description of fire problem shall be placed at a predetermined location.
f. Emphasize orderly action under proper discipline, rather than speed.
g. Drills shall include transmission of fire alarm signals throughout the facility (unless otherwise approved by the fire code official).
h Written procedures shall require that all staff and residents participate during fire drills in accordance with emergency preparedness plan. Testing and fire drills require separate documentation.

Thanks to 

DEATHERAGE ASSOCIATES, LLC
                                                                                   6969 South 310th East Avenue
                                                                                Broken Arrow, OK  74014-5479
(918) 357-2215                                                                                      bill@tdcsafety.com
Billy (918) 639-9342                    www.tdcsafety.com                        Bill (918) 230-3851
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for this information.