WakeMed Health & Hospitals Environment of Care Continual Readiness Guide Emergency and Disaster Events All Hazard Personal Preparedness Checklist

Transcription

1 Continual Readiness Guide Emergency and Disaster Events All Hazard Personal Preparedness Checklist Identify the Potential Hazards in Your Community Know the risks that may threaten your home and/or your community. Know if there are community warning systems, such as sirens. Practice Good Health Habits Know How to Limit the Spread of Germs Wash hands frequently with soap and water. Cover your mouth with your upper sleeve when you sneeze or cough. Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing. Place used tissues in a wastebasket. Stay at home if you are ill. Get a flu shot to protect yourself and your family from seasonal flu. Keep your and your families immunizations up to date. Eat a healthy balanced diet, exercise regularly and get plenty of rest. Home Evacuation Plans Everyone in the family should know the emergency escape routes in your home in the event of a fire or other type of emergency that threatens the safety of your home. Performed a home evacuation drill on a regular basis Develop plans of where you will move your family in the event your home becomes threatened and you need to leave your community. Identify several different routes that you can take, in case one is not available. Confirm you have the required identification required to re-enter a community should there be a required evacuation. For example, some communities require windshield stickers for re-entry. Shelter in Place Plans Some events may require you to shelter in place. Identify a safe room in your home. This location may vary depending on the type of event. For example, in a tornado threat, the safe room should be an interior room with the least number of windows and/or doors. Make sure the room can accommodate your family, pets and emergency supplies. If a chemical agent is the cause of the event, do not use the basement as your shelter. Family Communications Develop an emergency communication plan for your family. If you are separated from your family during or after a disaster, plan for how to get back together. Pick two places--a location near your home, as well as a place away from your neighborhood in case you cannot get home. Identify a family check in contact outside the area, which would be a person for your family to call, if your family is in separate locations at the time of an emergency. It is suggested that you have this plan, as many times, you can get long distance telephone lines, but the local lines are overloaded with calls. Assemble the important telephone numbers for your family. Refer to the Emergency Telephone Number List. Family Safety Training Encourage your family members to become certified in CPR and basic first aid. Page 1 of 5

2 Dependent Responsibilities Make plans for how you will manage the care for those who depend on you for their care. This may include childcare, elder care, those with special needs and/or pets. Make several alternate plans for their care. Remember, there may be events when your normal care individuals and/or agencies are not available. For example, if the roads are impassable for travel and/or if the agency has been closed to prevent potential exposure of a contagious disease. Confirm dependent care agency and/or school (if applicable) have the current listing of emergency contact names and numbers. Protect Your Wishes Completed your will, health care power of attorney, healthcare directive, financial power of attorney and your asset and beneficiary guides. Confirm the documents in a safe place. Confirm who has copies of the documents. Confirm your family knows your wishes. Consider being an organ donor. Confirm your family knows your wishes. If you are a donor with a North Carolina driver s license, this information is on the license. Emergency Equipment and Supplies Prepare supplies and equipment for home, work, pets and your vehicles. Refer to the lists of recommended items. Determine alternatives for heating or cooling your home in the event utilities are disrupted in either extreme heat or cold events. Alternatives include: Fireplace with ample supply of wood Small, well-vented, wood, coal, or camp stove with fuel Portable space heaters or kerosene heaters. Check with your local fire department on the legality of using kerosene heaters in your community. Fans Check your smoke detector to confirm it is working properly. If you have a personal generator, test it to make sure that it is operational. Review the manufacturer s instructions for safe use and maintenance. Consider installing a carbon monoxide alarm in your home. Protect Your Investments Confirm you have the correct and adequate home insurance policies. Remember that homeowners insurance does not cover flooding and/or wind damage of your home. Coverage is needed for specialty items, such as artwork. If you have completed renovations to your home, the insurance needs to be adjusted. Videotape and/or photograph every room in your home. Make an inventory of all the items of value; write down the model and serial numbers of major items, such as TV s and stereos. Identify the valuable items that you would take with you if there ever were a mandatory evacuation of your community. Make a copy of the documents and secure in a place other than your home. Make copies of important documents, such as your insurance policies, marriage and divorce papers, birth certificates, wills, health care power of attorney, healthcare directive, financial power of attorney, asset and beneficiary guides and passports. Secure the originals in a safe place other than your home. Keep a copy of valuable papers in your evacuation kit. Page 2 of 5

3 Protect Your Home Inspect the outside of your home. Remove dead branches and trees that lean more than 45 degrees. Also, remove branches that are near the roof. Do not work around utility lines. Remember to call the utility companies to remove tree/shrub growth around utility lines. Check the gutters of your home; do they need to be cleaned? If there are drainage ditches on your property, are they clean of debris? Make sure that you have a fire extinguisher (ABC). Check to see if there are pipes that are unprotected form freezing weather. If so, consider pipe insulation. Locate and know how to shut off water valves, gas and electricity to your home. Vehicle Safety Keep your vehicle, brakes and tires in good repair. Conduct a preventative maintenance inspection on a routine basis. Have a vehicle Emergency Kit in car for emergency situations. Plan for Potential Disruption in Services There are events that will disrupt local services. Be aware of this potential and make plans accordingly. This includes, but is not limited to a disruption in the availability of healthcare facilities, schools, banks, stores, restaurants, governmental offices and delivery services. Identify Resources Gather resource information. It may include internet sites, emergency telephone numbers, work telephone numbers, hotlines, radio and TV stations and electronic bulletin boards. Consider using electronic applications for contact information. Examples include the: WakeMed app and the FEMA app. Be a Good Neighbor Know your neighbors. This may include elderly individuals, single persons with small children, those with physical and/or mental disabilities, or those who do not have the resources to get medical help and/or make a preparedness plan. If there is a neighbor that needs assistance with planning and/or has special needs, be a good neighbor and share this information. Work Preparedness Talk with your supervisor and discuss the Emergency Operations Plans for the department. Find out your assignment/responsibilities. It is very important you report to work as assigned. Prepare a Work Personal Preparedness Kit. Confirm your supervisor has the right contact information to reach you. This includes your home telephone number, pager, and cellular telephone. Public Relations will distribute information on a regular basis about the WakeMed preparations and response to the event. This includes information about department closures, safety, sleeping arrangements, Human Resource policies, and dependent care, such as childcare options. It is recommended the department make one of its telephone numbers the Disaster Department Communication telephone number. This number will be used to relay messages to you that are specific to your department during the phases of the event. Please write the number down so you can get information from your supervisor. WakeMed has a system-wide Employee Alert Line ( ) that will give you general information about the emergency and the changes in hospital operations. The information Page 3 of 5

4 on this line will be updated on a regular basis. Let your supervisor know if you have concerns, questions, or ideas about the department and/or personal plans. Watch / Warning Phase Review the preseason Quick Response Guide for Personal Preparedness and make sure that you have finalized all the steps in your plan. Review the applicable safety guidelines and your family emergency plans. Talk with your supervisor and make sure that you understand your work assignment. Team Members: If there is the threat of unsafe road conditions, make your transportation arrangements to and from work. Sleeping accommodations may be provided in the building. Let your supervisor know of your plans. Arrange for dependent care alternatives. Review where to obtain information about the emergency event and WakeMed s plans. Remember to get your department s Disaster Communication Line number. Fuel your vehicle; confirm the Vehicle Preparedness Kit is intact in your vehicle. Check your emergency supplies. If there is a high wind weather threat, secure items outside, such as patio furniture, plants. If there is the potential for loss of electricity, turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest settings. Open only when necessary. If there is the threat of loss of water, store drinking water in containers and the bathtub. Event / Recovery Phase Monitor your NOAA Radio or keep a local radio and/or TV station on for information and emergency instructions. If you have to shelter in place and there is the threat of immediate harm, specifically a tornado warning, suggest taking a lap top or android device into the safe area with you so you can closely monitor the weather conditions. Call the WakeMed Employee Alert Line at and the Department Disaster Communication Line to get information about WakeMed operations and your assignments. If there is threatening weather, stay inside, if at all possible. Stay away from windows, skylights and glass doors if there is the threat of high winds and/or a tornado. Refer to the Tornado Safety Guide. If you go outside, dress for the season and expected conditions. For warm weather, wear light clothing. For cold weather, wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing. Outer garments should be tightly woven and waterrepellent. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Wear a hat. Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs from extremely cold air. Wear sturdy, waterproof boots in snow. Avoid travel if possible. If you must travel, try to do so during daylight. Don t travel alone. Stay on main roads, and keep others informed of your schedule. Depending on the type of event: Avoid flooded roads and watch for washed out roadways and/or bridges. The event may result in the loss of electricity, which in turn will result in the loss of air conditioning and or heat, the importance of which is dependent on the season. Page 4 of 5

5 Follow the safety instructions of emergency alternate devices that you may choose to use. In the winter, it is recommended that you not use a kerosene heater. However, if there are no other options, follow the manufacturer s instructions. Keep your kerosene heater at least three (3) feet away from furniture and other flammable objects. Maintain ventilation to avoid build-up of toxic fumes. Use only the correct fuel for your unit and follow the manufacturer s instructions. Refuel kerosene heaters outside and only when the unit is cool. Maintain a battery operated carbon monoxide detector in the house on each of the house levels. If you use a personal generator, never have located inside the house. Follow the manufacturer s instructions. Termination of Event and Evaluation It is important to get your feedback. If you have ideas about how to make the plan better, please give your ideas to your supervisor. Page 5 of 5