The Lutheran Community Home
Emergency Operations Plan
Policy Statement
This plan provides for emergency preparedness for events such as what would be generally called a disaster and prescribes the general policies and procedures to be followed during any disaster or potential disaster situation. The purpose of this plan is to describe the scope, responsibilities, and capabilities of the emergency preparedness program and emergency response at Lutheran Community Home. LCH will apply a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA) methodology to evaluate potential hazards to the facility and provide a guide for prioritized effort to address emergency operations issues. By using this methodology an all hazards approach will be strengthened.
Situations covered in this plan include the following: (click button to read plan)
LCH is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for both residents and staff. To continue providing quality care to residents of LCH during times of major emergencies and/or disasters when such events are reasonably believed to be pending by maintaining close coordination and planning links with local emergency response organizations on an ongoing basis.
It will be the responsibility of the highest-ranking staff person on duty to declare a situation a disaster and activate the disaster and evacuation policy and procedure.
Four Elements of Emergency Preparedness
Mitigation
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Policy Interpretation and Implementation
1. Each role listed in the emergency response chain of command has specific duties to perform should the Emergency Operations Plan be implemented. Although there are specific personnel that would be the best to fill a position, they may not be on site when a disaster might occur. Therefore, each job does not necessarily require a specific person to fill the position.
2. The following structure parallels the government’s Incident Command System (ICS) outlined in the National Response Plan. The plan clarifies key functional areas that need your attention when responding to emergencies/disasters. Using the ICS conforms to the state Emergency Management System which increases the likelihood of LCH’s eligibility for reimbursement of disaster-related costs.
3. In addition, one person may need to take responsibility for the functions of more than one job until relieved. The main priority is to begin the functions until additional or more qualified personnel are available to fulfill those duties. In the event the emergency occurs on off-shifts or weekends, certain personnel are designated to hold key roles until the designated personnel arrive on site.
1. As traditional communication systems may not function in an emergency or disaster, LCH has purchased 6 radios to ensure ongoing communication during the incident. All staff members are educated on their use.
2. LCH communication systems and capabilities will be provided to take care of daily routine business and emergency response activities. Where possible, redundancy will be built into the communication network that will support both internal and external alerting, notification, and information flow.
3. Resident care will be well-coordinated within the facility, across healthcare providers, and with the health departments and emergency management.
1. Incident Commander- Manages the overall response and recovery effort. Anticipates the course of events and oversees the planning process. Responsible for notifying community resources and outside agencies for needed assistance. This role is filled by the Administrator.
2. Logistics Officer- Arranges for needed support for operations, provides resources, and other services. This role is filled by the Director of Nursing.
3. Finance Officer- Manages the accounting responsibilities, tracks staff, and oversees financial issues. This role is filled by the Director of Financial Services.
4. Safety Officer- Monitors incident operations and advises the Incident Commander on all matters related to operational safety. This role is filled by the Maintenance Supervisor.
5. Liaison Officer- Maintains relationships with other organizations and first responders. This role is filled by the Director of Human Resources.
6. Communications Officer- Maintains communications with the media and all stakeholders. This role is filled by the Social Services Director/Compliance Officer.
A list of telephone numbers of staff for emergency contact is located at the front desk of the facility. During an emergency, the HR Director or designee is responsible for contacting staff to report for duty as directed by the Incident Commander. The HR Director will also assign volunteers to assist in the following activities: transporting assistance, passing water and ice, assisting with nutritional needs, assisting with comfort measures, and other duties as deemed appropriate in the specific situation.
Staff Training
New employees will be given comprehensive training on the overall scope of emergency planning and specific training on policies and procedures that are important to their assigned duties.
Periodic training, drills, and exercises will be conducted to maintain staff proficiency in the emergency plan and procedures.
Annual Review
1. This emergency plan is reviewed annually or whenever new information or lessons learned warrant a change be made to keep the plan and/or procedures current.
2. The facility will collaborate with local, regional, State, and/or Federal emergency preparedness officials to maintain an integrated response during a disaster or emergency situation, including documentation of the facility’s efforts to contact such officials.
3. Each year, our facility will participate in a full-scale exercise and participate in one additional testing exercise. Documentation will be maintained of all drills, tabletop exercises, and emergency events. The plan will be revised as needed