CALA News & Views | Issue 46 | Relationships

Local relationships, whether with emergency responders, city and county agencies, transportation companies, or other senior living providers are often key to a successful response in times of crisis. In fact, the emergency preparedness statute encourages Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) to have local emergency responders review their plans. Connecting with your local emergency responders for this purpose can provide licensees with expert input and provide an opportunity to make them aware of your community and your residents and any special needs. CALA recently asked Stan Szpytek, president of Fire and Life Safety, Inc., to provide insight and information that members can use in emergency preparedness planning and when looking for ways to cultivate relationships with local emergency responders. Q: What are some practical ways senior living providers can cultivate relationships with local emergency responders? A: Considering the increasing demand for service placed on every state’s first responders, I challenge Assisted Living providers and senior living communities to reach out to their local fire department, law enforcement agency, EMS provider and emergency management agencies to initiate discussions on how they can partner with these agencies to better serve their residents. In a true disaster, collaboration will be the only way to navigate towards successful outcomes. Invite first responders into your communities and give them an opportunity to tour and get to know the resident population that you serve. It is not uncommon for first responders to make assumptions about the resident population of a senior living community based on their “impression” of the residents. Providers should take it upon themselves to educate the community's emergency services about the unique nature of residents in an RCFE or Continuing Care Retirement Community so they will be prepared to provide critical services in an appropriate manner during a crisis. For example, first responders need to know that a memory care community can’t simply evacuate their residents to a large school gymnasium without a significant elopement risk. Q: What has been your experience as a former emergency responder and now as a consultant to senior living providers as to the success of these relationships and any notable outcomes? A: Providers should be part of the solution—not part of the problem when it comes to emergency management. They should be involved with healthcare coalitions and sitting at the table with nursing homes, hospitals, first responders and other stakeholders responsible for the management of local emergencies and disasters. As a retired Deputy Fire

Chief/Fire Marshal, I remember all the training, drills and exercises my fire department facilitated for senior services providers in my jurisdiction. Positive relationships with first responders, other “like” communities, and the entire healthcare continuum is essential for positive outcomes when emergencies or disasters strike. Q: Emergency transportation is key to successfully evacuating residents. What are your suggestions to senior living providers for securing transportation that shows up when needed? A: Senior living providers should know their transportation capabilities by typing and inventorying the assets they have available to them. Emergency planning involves a great deal of “getting your ducks-in-a-row.” The time to think about your transportation assets is not when you need them as a fast-moving wildfire approaches. Instead, a provider should know what internal resources they have available like buses, vans and passenger vehicles, as well as know where they can get assistance when they need ambulances or wheelchair vans. Contracts or letters of agreement with transportation providers or other communities that have vehicles available to share should be part of every senior living community's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Q: It isn’t a new idea for senior living providers to connect with other providers to help house and care for residents during an evacuation. What other options would you recommend and is there an untapped or unconventional resource that senior living providers are overlooking? A: The best outcome when evacuation and relocation is required is to get the residents to a similar or “like” community. When this is not possible, it is not uncommon for providers to use hotels/motels to house residents that need to be evacuated from a disaster zone or localized emergency that makes a community uninhabitable. Again, it’s about getting ducks-in-a-row. Predetermine the locations where you may need to transport your residents and—first and foremost—make sure that those locations are suitable for your residents. You wouldn't want to use a multi-story property that is not equipped with an elevator, for example. The relocation site(s) need to be able to accommodate the needs of your residents. Don't be satisfied with just one or two contingencies. Keep in mind that during a major disaster like an earthquake or wildfire, multiple providers will be competing for the same types of resources. Challenge your team to think out of the box and develop a comprehensive list of contingencies and places to relocate your resident population during an emergency or disaster. Stan Szpytek is the President of Fire and Life Safety, Inc. Szpytek is a former deputy fire chief and fire marshal with more than 35 years of experience in life safety compliance and emergency preparedness. Stan works with several state health care associations around the country and can be reached at Stan@FLSafety.org .

CALA NEWS & VIEWS I ISSUE 46 | APRIL 2023

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