Evacuation Capability, Emergency Procedures, and Fire Safety.
(i) Evacuation Capability.
(A) The evacuation capability rating for the group of residents, as
defined by the Life Safety Code, in accordance with licensure rules, shall meet prompt or slow
for facilities with nine (9) or more residents, and the rating shall meet prompt for facilities of
eight (8) or fewer residents. The facility shall be responsible for maintaining evacuation
capability ratings by timed fire exit drills.
(I) Exception shall be a facility where the construction meets
the impractical evacuation capability rating.
(B) Evacuation Capability Ratings:
(I) Prompt – maximum of three (3) minutes
(II) Slow – between three (3) and thirteen (13) minutes
(III) Impractical – more than thirteen (13) minutes
(ii) Emergency Procedures.
(A) Disaster and Emergency Preparedness.
(I) The facility shall have detailed written plans and
procedures to meet all potential emergencies and disasters, such as fire, severe weather, and
missing residents. A copy of the plans shall be available at all times within the facility.
(1.) Emergency plans in the event of a fire shall be in
accordance to the Life Safety Code Operating Features sections.
(II) The facility shall train all employees in the emergency
procedures. New staff shall be trained within the first week of employment. The facility shall
review the procedures with all staff at least every twelve (12) months. A training record shall be
kept in each personnel file.
(iii) Fire Safety.
(A) Portable fire extinguishers shall be installed, inspected, and
maintained according with NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers.
(I) State of Wyoming certified individuals shall inspect and
service the extinguishers. All extinguishers shall have a tag or label securely attached that
indicate the month and year the maintenance was performed and that identifies the person
performing the service.
(B) Readily available and clearly readable telephone numbers for
emergency contacts shall be located near all telephones.
(C) Clearly readable floor diagrams reflecting the actual floor
arrangement showing the exit locations and evacuation routes shall be posted in conspicuous
places. Each resident shall be instructed with its use on the first day of admission.
(D) Resident training for the fire emergency plan shall be in
accordance with the Life Safety Code Operating Features sections.
(I) On the first day of admission, each resident shall be
instructed in the proper action of the fire emergency plan, including the location of all the exits.
A record of this instruction shall be in each resident file
(E) Fire exit drills shall be conducted in accordance to the Life Safety
Code Operating Features sections. The minimum number of drills, as amended, shall be held at
least twelve (12) times per year on a monthly basis with a minimum of one drill conducted each
quarter on each shift. Fire exit drill records over a two-year period shall be available upon
request at the facility.
(I) The facility shall be responsible for recording fire exit
drills on an evaluation form that include at least the following:
(1.) Date of drill;
(2.) Time of day;
(3.) Type of drill (Practice, Announced, Surprise);
(4.) Residents who participated including staff and
family members;
(5.) Time required (minutes and seconds) to evacuate all
residents (including staff) from the occupied areas to a point of assembly as defined in the Life
Safety Code;
(6.) List of anyone, including staff and family members,
who did not evacuate in the required time allowed by the evacuation capability rating of the
facility. Evacuation capability rating for each facility shall be listed on the form;
(7.) Comments on the factors that contributed to each
individual’s inability to evacuate successfully and any corrective actions recommended; and
(8.) Signature and date of the person completing the
form.