Florida Administrative Code › 59 - AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION › 59A - Health Facility and Agency Licensing › Chapter 59A-36 - ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY › Section 59A-36.025 - Emergency Environmental Control for Assisted Living Facilities

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) DETAILED EMERGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
				PLAN. Each assisted living facility shall prepare a detailed plan ("plan") to
				serve as a supplement to its Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, to
				address emergency environmental control in the event of the loss of primary
				electrical power in that assisted living facility which includes the following
				information:
(a) The acquisition of a
				sufficient alternate power source such as a generator(s), maintained at the
				assisted living facility, to ensure that current licensees of assisted living
				facilities will be equipped to ensure ambient air temperatures will be
				maintained at or below 81 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of ninety-six (96)
				hours in the event of the loss of primary electrical power.
1. The required temperature must be
				maintained in an area or areas, determined by the assisted living facility, of
				sufficient size to maintain residents safely at all times and that is
				appropriate for resident care needs and life safety requirements. For planning
				purposes, no less than twenty (20) net square feet per resident must be
				provided. The assisted living facility may use eighty percent (80%) of its
				licensed bed capacity as the number of residents to be used in the calculation
				to determine the required square footage. This may include areas that are less
				than the entire assisted living facility if the assisted living facility's
				comprehensive emergency management plan includes allowing a resident to
				congregate when he or she desires in portions of the building where
				temperatures will be maintained and includes procedures for monitoring
				residents for signs of heat related injury as required by this rule. This rule
				does not prohibit a facility from acting as a receiving provider for evacuees
				when the conditions stated in Section
				408.821, F.S. and subsection
				59A-36.019(5),
				F.A.C., are met. The plan shall include information regarding the area(s)
				within the assisted living facility where the required temperature will be
				maintained.
2. The alternate power
				source and fuel supply shall be located in an area(s) in accordance with local
				zoning and the Florida Building Code.
3. Each assisted living facility is unique in
				size; the types of care provided; the physical and mental capabilities and
				needs of residents; the type, frequency, and amount of services and care
				offered; and staffing characteristics. Accordingly, this rule does not limit
				the types of systems or equipment that may be used to achieve ambient
				temperatures at or below 81 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of ninety-six (96)
				hours in the event of the loss of primary electrical power. The plan shall
				include information regarding the systems and equipment that will be used by
				the assisted living facility and the fuel required to operate the systems and
				equipment.
a. An assisted living facility in
				an evacuation zone pursuant to Chapter 252, F, S. must maintain an alternative
				power source and fuel as required by this subsection at all times when the
				assisted living facility is occupied but is permitted to utilize a mobile
				generator(s) to enable portability if evacuation is necessary.
b. Assisted living facilities located on a
				single campus with other facilities under common ownership, may share fuel,
				alternative power resources, and resident space available on the campus if such
				resources are sufficient to support the requirements of each facility's
				residents, as specified in this rule. Details regarding how resources will be
				shared and any necessary movement of residents must be clearly described in the
				emergency power plan.
c. A
				multistory facility, whose comprehensive emergency management plan is to move
				residents to a higher floor during a flood or surge event, must place its
				alternative power source and all necessary additional equipment so it can
				safely operate in a location protected from flooding or storm surge
				damage.