Emergency Generator Survey

Does your home have an emergency generator?  Is your home’s electrical system pre-wired to accept a temporary emergency generator?  Knowing your status in advance of an emergency can be vital to responders and to recovery efforts.

Due date extended – if your home has not submitted the survey yet, please support this community emergency preparedness effort by completing the online survey.  This survey will provide quick access to vital information about your home in the event of an emergency.

Click here to complete the Emergency Generator Survey

The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services (DHSS), Section for Long-Term Care Regulation, is gathering emergency generator information for all licensed long-term care homes in the state as part of our emergency preparedness and planning objectives.  Our intention is to gather information in advance, since communication during a disaster (like the Joplin tornado) may be impossible or could be disruptive to a facility focused on caring for residents.  This data will give DHSS the ability to quickly provide information during an actual emergency to governing bodies and to the DHSS Center for Emergency Response and Terrorism to coordinate with responding agencies so that they may identify the most vulnerable populations first.  Homes that do not complete the survey will be contacted.  If you have any questions regarding the Emergency Generator Survey, please contact Melissa Hope at 573-522-1333 or email:  Melissa.Hope@health.mo.gov.

CMS Life Safety Code Reminders

  • Fire extinguishers should not be mounted over five feet from the floor to the top of the extinguisher

 Fire extinguishers having a gross weight not exceeding 40 pounds shall be installed so that the top of the fire extinguisher is not more than 5 feet above the floor.  Fire extinguishers having a gross weight greater than 40 pounds shall be so installed that the top of the fire extinguisher is not more than 3 ½ feet above the floor.  In no case shall the clearance between the bottom of the fire extinguisher and the floor be less than 4 inches.  1998 NFPA 10, 1-6.10.

  • A facility which allows smoking needs to have a metal container with a self-closing cover provided in the area.  A smokers urn, only meets the requirement of an ashtray of safe design.  Providers are under the impression that if these urns are metal that they meet the requirement of the container with a self-closing cover

Metal self-closing containers for disposing of cigarette butts and ashes from ashtrays, and ashtrays of noncombustible material and safe design, shall be provided in all areas where smoking is permitted as required in NFPA 101, 18/19.7.4.

  • Facilities need to have a zone evacuation plan in their fire emergency procedures

The administration of every health care occupancy shall have, in effect and available to all supervisory personnel, written copies of a plan for the protection of all persons in the event of a fire, for their evacuation to areas of refuge, and for their evacuation from the building when necessary.  All employees shall be periodically instructed and kept informed with respect to their duties under the plan.  A copy of the plan shall be readily available at all times in the telephone operator’s position or at the security center.  The provisions of 19.7.1.2 through 19.7.2.3 shall apply.  2000 NFPA 101, 18/19.7.1.1.

A written health care occupancy fire safety plan shall provide for the following:  1) Use of alarms 2) Transmission of alarm to the fire department 3) Response to alarms 4) Isolation of fire 5) Evacuation of immediate area 6) Evacuation of smoke compartment 7) Preparation of floors and building for evacuation, 8 Extinguishment of fire.  2000 NFPA 101, 18/19.7.2.2.

CMS website:  https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/CertificationandComplianc/LSC.html

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) website:  http://www.nfpa.org/

Extreme Heat Conditions

The Department of Health & Senior Services website contains helpful resources during extreme heat conditions.  Please visit:  http://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/hyperthermia/index.php

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance:  Your best defense against heat-related illness is prevention.  Staying cool and making simple changes in your fluid intake, activities, and clothing during hot weather can help you remain safe and healthy.  Please visit:  http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/

National Institute on Aging Newsroom, NIH provides heat-related illness advice for older people: http://www.nia.nih.gov/newsroom/2012/06/hyperthermia-too-hot-your-health

Improving Disaster Planning in Nursing Homes and Home Health Agencies

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Time: 2:00 – 3:00 pm (Eastern Time)  Conference Call Information:  http://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/ 

Participate by Phone:  Dial: 888-790-6180 Passcode: 1281914

Participate by Webinar:  https://www.mymeetings.com/emeet/join/index.jsp?customHeader=mymeetings&netId=PW7035569&netPass=1281914&netType=conference&acceptTerms=on

The CDC Emergency Communication System’s Clinician Communication Team manages the Clinician Outreach Communication Activity (COCA) to ensure that clinicians have the up-to-date information they need.  COCA is designed to provide two-way communication between clinicians and the CDC about emerging health threats, such as pandemics, natural disasters, and terrorism.

National Scald Prevention Campaign

The Missouri Division of Fire Safety in conjunction with the National Scald Prevention Steering Committee

The Division of Fire Safety has made the Scald Prevention Brochure available for distribution.  Fire Safety Inspectors will also distribute the brochure when they conduct facility inspections.  The brochure is printed in both English and in Spanish.  Please visit the website for more information:  http://www.dfs.dps.mo.gov/

Missouri launches new Web Site to help Missourians be prepared for tornadoes and severe storms

State Emergency Management Agency News Release:  http://www.sema.dps.mo.gov/newspubs/template.asp?ID=N09120010

The State Emergency Management Agency announced Missouri has launched a new Web site to help inform and prepare Missourians for severe weather:  http://stormaware.mo.gov/  includes detailed videos on how to take shelter in specific types of buildings, important information about tornado sirens and weather alert radios, and links to severe weather texting services that can alert people across Missouri to upcoming severe weather.

Emergency Protocol for Long-Term Care Homes

The Emergency Protocol was developed in 2007 for communication between long-term care homes and the Section for Long-Term Care Regulation (SLCR), in the event a disaster occurs that results in a loss of a necessary service.  (Electricity, water, gas, telephone, etc.)  This protocol was established to streamline communication so that homes can focus on what is most important – the safety and well-being of the residents.

This protocol provides the cellular telephone number corresponding to the region in which your home is located if you experience a loss in a necessary service that has the potential to affect resident safety or well-being.  You are encouraged to contact the regional office main office telephone number during normal business hours as survey staff carry the cell phone and may be conducting a survey or inspection during working hours and may not answer immediately.  Please remember, this protocol is NOT to be used to self-report incidents normally reported to the Elderly Abuse & Neglect Hotline (1-800-392-0210). 

Region

Main Office

Emergency Only Cell Number

#1 Springfield

(417) 895-6435

(417) 425-8780

#2 Poplar Bluff

(573) 840-9580

(573) 778-6495

#3 Kansas City

(816) 889-2818

(816) 719-0089

#4 Cameron

(816) 632-6541

(816) 632-9371

#5 Macon

(660) 385-5763

(660) 651-1468

#6 Jefferson City

(573) 751-2270

(573) 619-3338

#7 St Louis

(314) 340-7360

(314) 623-2852

The State of Missouri map outlining the counties in each region is available at http://health.mo.gov/seniors/nursinghomes/providerinfo.php.

Additional resources for disaster and emergency planning are available at http://health.mo.gov/emergencies/.

If you have any questions about the Emergency Protocol, please contact the Section for Long-Term Care Regulation at 573-526-8524.

Resources for Joplin Tornado Victims

Resources for Joplin Tornado Victims – Some Joplin area residents are having difficulty with insurance claims related to tornado damages.  Whether the insured is an individual or a nursing home, a complaint can be registered with the Missouri Department of Insurance at http://insurance.mo.gov/consumers/complaints/index.php or you may call the Hotline at 800-726-7390.