Know your part in the emergency plan: alarms and codes, what to do in a fire, oxygen safety, evacuating or sheltering, and outages.
ForNursing home, Home health, Hospice staff
TimeAbout 67–68 minutes
Lessons10, each with a quick check
FinishA quiz (80% to pass) and a printable certificate of completion
What you will learn
Explain what an emergency plan is and why every setting has one.
Report any emergency right away, using your workplace's method.
Follow your fire plan: sound the alarm and call for help.
Explain why oxygen makes fire more dangerous.
Explain the difference between evacuating and sheltering in place.
Stay safe during a power outage, including carbon monoxide and power line dangers.
Know that each home health patient has an individual emergency plan.
Check in with your agency as your plan says.
Help account for every resident, patient and coworker.
Spot and report common fire hazards.
Hands-on part. Part of this topic needs a hands-on check with your supervisor; this online course does not cover that part.
Fire drill: took part (Nursing home). The worker took part in one of your fire drills (announced or not) and did their part of the fire plan. A supervisor marks it done with the date and their name.
Written by Pact Compliance from federal rules and CDC, CMS, OSHA and NIH guidance (sources under each lesson), checked October 2026. Where your facility's policy is different, follow your facility's policy.
Lesson 1: Your Role in the Emergency Plan
In this lesson you will:
Explain what an emergency plan is and why every setting has one.
Name the four parts of an emergency preparedness program.
Know your role: know the plan, follow it, and report.
Be ready
Any emergency
Emergencies can happen at any time. CMS lists hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, power outages, chemical spills, and flu pandemics. Federal rules say every nursing home, home health agency, and hospice must have an emergency preparedness program. The program helps you keep people safe when something goes wrong. You are a big part of it.
All hazards
Many kinds
The plan uses what CMS calls an all-hazards approach. That means getting ready for many kinds of trouble, not just one. CMS says this includes storms and floods, power and equipment failures, and phone or computer outages. It also includes running short of food or water, and new diseases that spread. Each plan starts with a risk check. That is a look at the dangers most likely in your area and for the people you serve.
Show the answer
Getting ready for many kinds of emergencies, not just one. CMS says the all-hazards approach plans for a wide range of emergencies.
Four parts
Plan, steps, contacts
Every program has four main parts. First, the emergency plan itself. Second, policies and procedures. These are the step-by-step rules. Third, a communication plan. It lists names and phone numbers, and backup ways to reach people. Fourth, training and testing, so staff know what to do.
What it covers
Food, power, safety
A nursing home plan must cover food, water, medical supplies, and medicines. It must cover backup power for safe temperatures, emergency lights, and fire alarms. It must cover how to leave the building safely, and how to stay inside safely. It must also track where residents and staff are. Home health and hospice plans must include a way to check on patients and staff, and a plan for patients who need help to leave home.
Training
When you start
The rules say every new staff member gets emergency training that fits their job. Nursing homes must train staff at least once a year. Home health agencies and hospices must train at least every two years. They must also train again when the plan changes in a big way. Hospices must also go over and practice the plan with staff from time to time. Your employer may train more often.
Drills
Practice counts
Your workplace must also test the plan. Nursing homes must do this at least twice a year, and some drills must be a surprise. Home health agencies and hospices that care for people at home must test at least once a year. After each drill or real event, the team looks at what went well and fixes the plan. Treat every drill like the real thing.
Your role
Know, follow, report
You do not write the plan. Your job is to know your part, follow it, and report what you see. OSHA says a written emergency plan must be kept at work where staff can read it. It must name who you can ask about it. CMS tells surveyors to talk with staff to check what they know. So know where the plan is kept, who is in charge, and how to reach them.
On your shift
A new coworker
A new aide asks you, 'What do I do if the power goes out?' You say, 'Our plan tells us. Let's look at it together.' You show her where the plan is kept and who to call. Then you let the nurse know she has questions, so she gets the training she needs.
Quick review
Know your part
Let's review. Every nursing home, home health agency, and hospice must have an emergency program. It plans for many kinds of trouble. It has four parts: the plan, the step-by-step rules, the contact list, and training and testing. Staff are trained when they start and then on a regular schedule. Your job is to know your part, follow it, and report.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Where the emergency plan is kept on each unit or in the agency
Name or job title of the person in charge in an emergency
Your top hazards from your risk assessment
Your drill schedule (no dates for unannounced drills)
Report any emergency right away, using your workplace's method.
Know what each alarm and code means where you work.
Know who to call in a facility and in a patient's home.
Report fast
Seconds count
OSHA says emergencies must be reported right away. Fires and other emergencies can become dangerous in seconds. Any delay in getting help can cost lives. So the first rule is simple. When you see an emergency, get help right away. If you are not sure it is an emergency, report it anyway.
Ways to report
Know yours
OSHA lists common ways to report an emergency. You may dial 911. You may call an inside emergency number. These numbers should be posted on or near each phone. You may pull a fire alarm, or use an intercom or overhead page. Your workplace's plan must say how to report a fire or other emergency. Learn the exact way at your job.
Alarms
Each has meaning
OSHA says the alarm system must use a different signal for each purpose. An alarm may tell you to leave the area. Another may tell you to take other steps in the plan. Some places use bells, horns, or spoken codes on the overhead page. Alarms should be seen, heard, or noticed by everyone. Learn what each sound and code means where you work.
Show the answer
Fires and other emergencies can become dangerous in seconds. OSHA says any delay in getting help can cost lives.
Codes
Learn them
OSHA says some workplaces use coded announcements on the intercom. A code is a short name for an emergency. Codes may cover fire, a missing resident, bad weather, or a medical emergency. Nursing home plans must include missing residents. Your facility will give you its list of codes. Keep it with you until you know it well.
In a home
Call 911
In a patient's home there is no overhead page and no alarm panel. For a fire or a life-threatening emergency, call 911. Then call your agency, as your plan says. Your agency's communication plan has staff phone numbers and backup ways to reach people. Know your agency's number for emergencies. Save it in your phone.
Who to ask
Name and number
OSHA says the plan must give the name or job title of the people you can contact about the plan. They can explain your duties. In a facility, find out who is in charge on each shift. In home care, find out who is on call. Your trainer will fill in these names and numbers for you.
What to say
Where and what
When you report, be short and clear. Say where you are. Say what is happening. Say who is in danger. For example: 'Fire in room 12, east hall. One resident in the room.' Then follow the steps for that emergency.
On your shift
An unknown code
You hear a code on the overhead page that you don't know. You don't guess, and you don't ignore it. You keep the residents near you safe, and ask the nurse right away what the code means and what to do. After your shift, you study your code list again.
Quick review
Report right away
Let's review. Report every emergency right away. Seconds count. Know how to report at your job: 911, an inside number, a fire alarm, or the overhead page. Each alarm and code has its own meaning. Learn them. In a home, call 911 for a life-threatening emergency, then your agency. Know who to ask about the plan.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Your emergency codes and what each one means
Inside emergency number(s)
Location of fire alarm pull stations
Agency 24-hour or on-call number (home health/hospice)
Name or job title of the person to contact about the plan on each shift
Follow your fire plan: sound the alarm and call for help.
Know when to leave instead of fighting a fire.
Know the P.A.S.S. steps if you are trained and allowed to use an extinguisher.
Fire plan
Know it first
OSHA says fire is the most common emergency that small workplaces plan for. Your facility or agency has a fire plan. It gives the exact steps, in order. Many places use a short memory word for those steps. Your trainer will teach you yours. This lesson covers basic steps from OSHA. Your fire plan comes first.
Alarm
Call for help
OSHA's first step for a fire is to sound the fire alarm and call the fire department, if your plan says to. In a facility, that may mean pulling the nearest fire alarm and calling your emergency number. In a home, get people out and call 911. Don't wait to see if the fire grows. Fires can become dangerous in seconds.
Protect people
Close doors
Keep people away from fire and smoke. Your plan tells you how to move anyone in danger, and where to take them. OSHA says leaving an area often includes closing doors behind you. Staff who help others leave may also check that fire doors are closed. Your plan tells you which doors to close.
Show the answer
Your employer, in its fire and emergency plan. OSHA says the employer chooses whether all, some, or no staff use extinguishers.
Fight or leave
Your plan decides
OSHA says leaving right away is the best way to prevent fire injuries to staff. Your employer decides who may use a fire extinguisher. In some places, only trained, chosen staff use them, and everyone else leaves when the alarm sounds. If staff may use extinguishers, your employer must teach you how when you start, and every year after.
Small fires only
Keep an exit
OSHA says to fight only very small fires. An example is a fire in a wastebasket that has not spread, with flames no higher than your head. Before you start, find a safe way out. Never let fire, heat, or smoke get between you and your exit. If smoke is filling the room, or you have any doubt, leave right away.
P.A.S.S.
Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep
If you are trained and it is safe, OSHA teaches four steps called PASS. Pull the pin. Aim low, at the base of the fire. Squeeze the handle. Sweep from side to side at the base of the fire. Back away once it is out, in case it flares up. If the extinguisher runs out and the fire still burns, leave right away.
After you leave
Count everyone
Go to the place your plan names. OSHA says to take a head count. Tell the person in charge the names and last known places of anyone who is missing. This helps trained rescuers find them fast. Confusion at the meeting spot can slow down a rescue, so stay with your group.
On your shift
A trash can fire
You smell smoke and see flames in a trash can in the dining room. You follow your fire plan. You help residents move away from the fire. You pull the alarm and call for help. You close the door as you leave. You are not trained on the extinguisher, so you leave that to trained staff.
Quick review
Plan first
Let's review. Follow your fire plan. Sound the alarm and call for help right away. Move people away from danger, and close doors as your plan says. Use an extinguisher only if you are trained, allowed, and the fire is very small. Always keep a safe way out. If in doubt, get out. Then help count everyone.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Your facility's or agency's fire plan steps, in order (and memory word, such as RACE, if you use one)
Which staff are allowed and trained to use fire extinguishers
Where alarm pull stations and extinguishers are on each unit
Keep smoking, flames, heat and oils away from oxygen.
Never change oxygen settings; report problems to your nurse.
Oxygen
Fire burns faster
MedlinePlus says oxygen makes things burn much faster. Think of what happens when you blow on a fire. The flame gets bigger. Many residents and patients use oxygen. Where oxygen is in use, you must take extra care to keep fire and heat away. A small spark can become a big fire.
No smoking
Near oxygen
No one should smoke in a room where oxygen is used. MedlinePlus says to put a 'No Smoking' sign in every room where oxygen is used. CMS says nursing home residents may not smoke while oxygen is in use. Oxygen is not allowed in smoking areas. Residents who walk around with oxygen must be told the safety rules, and staff should watch that they follow them.
6 feet away
Heat and flames
Keep oxygen at least 6 feet, about 2 meters, from heat and flames. MedlinePlus lists candles, fireplaces, wood stoves, space heaters, and electric baseboard heaters. It also lists electric blankets, hair dryers, electric razors, electric toothbrushes, and toys with motors. In the kitchen, keep oxygen away from the stove and oven. Watch for grease that splatters.
Show the answer
Oxygen makes things burn much faster. MedlinePlus says oxygen makes flames bigger, so keep oxygen 6 feet from flames.
Oils and lotions
Ask first
Keep liquids that can burn away from oxygen. That includes cleaning products with oil, grease, or alcohol. MedlinePlus says not to use Vaseline or other petroleum creams on the face or upper body without asking the care team first. Water-based products, like aloe, are safer. Follow the care plan, and ask your nurse before you use any cream on a person who uses oxygen.
Storage
Watch the tubing
MedlinePlus says not to store oxygen in a car trunk, a box, or a small closet. Under the bed is OK if air can move freely. Oxygen tubing can make people trip. Keep it out of walkways. Watch your own feet, too, when you help someone move.
Settings
Do not change
MedlinePlus tells people not to stop or change their oxygen flow on their own. In a nursing home, CMS says the care plan lists the oxygen settings that were ordered. For you, the rule is simple. Never change the setting. Never turn oxygen off or on unless your care plan and nurse say to. If something seems wrong, tell your nurse.
Warning signs
Tell your nurse
Tell your nurse right away if a person on oxygen has blue lips or fingernails, or seems sleepy or confused. Also report slow, shallow, or hard breathing, many headaches, or more nervousness than usual. MedlinePlus says to check that the tubing is connected and oxygen is flowing. Check only as your training allows, then report what you found.
On your shift
A candle at home
You visit Mr. Lane at home. He uses oxygen. His wife has lit a candle on the table next to him. You calmly ask her to blow it out. You explain that oxygen makes fire burn much faster. You check for a 'No Smoking' sign and a smoke detector. Then you tell your nurse, so the team can review home safety.
Quick review
Keep fire away
Let's review. Oxygen makes fire burn much faster. No smoking near oxygen, ever. Keep oxygen 6 feet from flames, heaters, and listed electric items. Keep oils, grease, and alcohol away. Ask before using creams. Never change the oxygen setting. Report blue lips, confusion, or breathing changes right away.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Your smoking policy and smoking areas
Where oxygen tanks are stored and who handles them
Your agency's home oxygen safety checklist or handout
Explain the difference between evacuating and sheltering in place.
Follow the order and moving methods your plan gives you.
Know what to do if a resident refuses to leave.
Two choices
Leave or stay
In an emergency, there are two main choices. To evacuate means to move people out of danger. That may be out of one area, or out of the whole building. To shelter in place means to stay inside, in the safest spot. Nursing home rules require a plan for both. The plan must also cover food, water, and supplies either way.
Who decides
Wait for the order
OSHA says the plan names who can order an evacuation, and when. CMS says sheltering in place may be the better choice in some disasters, like tornadoes. It may also be needed when moving people would be too dangerous. You do not make this call. Listen for the order, and follow it.
Where to go
Know your spots
Different emergencies need different responses. OSHA gives the example of gathering in one area inside the building during a tornado. Your plan says where to go for each kind of emergency, including fire. Exit routes should be clearly marked, well lit, and never blocked. Learn the routes and safe areas on your unit before you need them.
Show the answer
Stay inside, in the safest spot, instead of leaving. Sheltering in place may be safer in some disasters, like tornadoes.
Who goes first
Follow the order
CMS says a facility may set an order for moving residents. It may be based on how sick they are, how they move, and where they are. For example, some walk, some use wheelchairs, and some need a stretcher. A named person makes those choices. Your job is to follow the order you are given.
Move safely
Use your training
The plan must think about each resident's care needs when they move. Use only the lifts, carries, and equipment you were trained to use. Get help for anyone you can't move safely alone. If your plan says to, and there is time, bring things like glasses, walkers, and oxygen.
Track residents
Info goes along
The facility must track where residents and on-duty staff are during and after an emergency. If residents go to another place, the name and location of that place must be written down. CMS suggests sending a short health summary with each resident who leaves. It may list health problems, allergies, and family contacts. Follow your plan's tracking steps.
If someone refuses
Get help
Sometimes a resident refuses to leave. CMS says leaving a resident in an unsafe place is not acceptable. Surveyors may ask staff how they would handle a refusal. Stay calm. Explain why you need to move. Get your nurse or the person in charge right away. Don't leave the resident alone in danger.
On your shift
A tornado warning
A tornado warning sounds. The charge nurse calls for shelter in place. You help move residents to the safe area your plan names, in the order you are told. Mrs. Gray is scared. You stay calm, hold her hand, and tell her you will stay close. Then you help with the head count.
Quick review
Follow the plan
Let's review. Evacuate means move out of danger. Shelter in place means stay inside in the safest spot. A named person orders which one. Follow the order for moving residents, and use only the methods you were trained on. Residents and staff must be tracked, and info goes with residents who leave. If a resident refuses, get help. Never leave them in danger.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Who can order an evacuation or shelter in place
Evacuation routes, safe areas and assembly areas for each unit
Your order or triage method for moving residents
Evacuation equipment (for example, sleds or chairs) and who is trained on it
Your resident tracking form and health summary sheet
Stay safe during a power outage, including carbon monoxide and power line dangers.
Know why older adults are at high risk from heat.
Spot heat illness and get help fast.
Power out
Backup power
Storms, heat waves, and equipment failures can cut the power. A nursing home's emergency power must at least light the entrances and exits. It must keep fire alarms and sprinklers working, and run life support systems. The plan must also keep temperatures safe for residents. Your facility will show you what runs on backup power.
Devices
Need a backup
MedlinePlus says oxygen concentrators need electricity. People who use them must have a backup tank in case the power goes out. CDC says to plan ahead for medical devices and for medicines that must stay cold. Medicines that need a refrigerator may spoil without power. Don't decide about medicines yourself. If a device stops or a fridge is warm, tell your nurse right away.
Carbon monoxide
Generators outside
CDC says never use a generator or other gas engine inside a home, basement, or garage. Keep generators at least 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents. Never use a grill or camp stove inside, or a gas stove or oven to heat a home. These can make carbon monoxide, a dangerous gas. If someone has a headache, dizziness, or nausea, get help right away.
Show the answer
Outside, at least 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents. CDC says never use a generator inside a home, basement, or garage.
Light safely
Flashlights first
CDC says to use flashlights instead of candles during an outage. If a candle must be used, keep it away from things that can burn, and never leave it alone. Remember, never use a candle near oxygen. Outside, never touch a fallen power line. If someone may have had an electric shock, call 911.
Heat risk
Older adults
CDC says adults 65 and older are at higher risk from heat. They don't adjust as well to sudden changes in temperature. They are more likely to have long-term health problems that change how the body handles heat. They are also more likely to take medicines that affect sweating or body temperature. People who live alone are at higher risk, too.
Heat illness
Know the signs
Watch for heat exhaustion. CDC lists headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, thirst, being cranky, and heavy sweating. Heat stroke is worse. It is an emergency. Signs include confusion, slurred speech, passing out, seizures, and a very high body temperature. The skin may be hot and dry, or the person may sweat a lot.
Act fast
Call for help
For possible heat stroke, call 911 or use your emergency process. Stay with the person. CDC says to move them to a cool place and cool them with cold, wet cloths, as your nurse directs. For heat exhaustion, move the person out of the heat and tell your nurse right away. Offer sips of cool water only if the care plan allows. Some people have fluid limits.
Keep cool
And watch for cold
CDC says to stay in air conditioning as much as you can. Don't rely on a fan as the main cooling when it is very hot. Use light, loose clothes and cool showers, as the care plan allows. Cold is a danger too. CDC says a body temperature below 95 degrees needs medical help right away. In any outage, check on people often and report changes.
Quick review
Stay safe
Let's review. Know what runs on backup power. Devices and cold medicines need a plan. Tell your nurse about problems. Generators and grills stay outside. Use flashlights, not candles. Never touch a fallen power line. Older adults are at high risk from heat. Heat stroke is an emergency. Get help fast.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
What runs on emergency power in your building (and which outlets)
Your cooling or warming areas and temperature policy
Where backup oxygen is kept and who starts it
Agency steps for patients during outages and heat waves
Steps if carbon monoxide is suspected (for example, leave the home and call 911)
Know that each home health patient has an individual emergency plan.
Know what information officials need about patients who may need help leaving home.
Report changes in the home that affect the patient's plan.
Every patient
Own plan
Home health agencies must plan for their patients during natural and man-made disasters. The rule says each patient must have an individual emergency plan. It is made as part of the patient's full assessment. Hospices must plan for their patients at home too. Both must have a way to tell officials which patients need help leaving home in an emergency.
What it covers
Home dangers
CMS says the plan talk may cover dangers the patient could face at home. Examples are fire, flooding, tornadoes, and diseases that spread. It may cover how and when to call local emergency officials. The plan should be written down. It can be as simple as an emergency card kept with the patient. A copy goes in the patient's file, and a copy goes to the patient or caregiver.
Your role
Know the plan
Find out where the patient's emergency card or plan is kept in the home. Read it, so you know what the patient and family plan to do. Know who the patient will call, and where they will go. In an emergency, follow the plan and your agency's steps. You are not the one who writes the plan. Your nurse and the care team do that.
Show the answer
An emergency card kept with the patient. CMS says the plan should be written and can be as simple as an emergency card.
Who needs help
Officials may ask
CMS lists facts an agency may give officials when a patient needs help leaving home. Can the patient walk or move on their own? What life-saving equipment do they need, and can it be moved or run on a battery? Do they have special needs, like needing electricity, trouble talking, a language barrier, or a special diet? Do they have a disease that spreads?
What you notice
Report changes
You may see the home more often than anyone else on the team. Tell your nurse when something changes that could affect the plan. For example, the patient can no longer walk, has new equipment that needs power, or has lost a caregiver. Also report home dangers, like a blocked exit or no working smoke detector.
Oxygen at home
Tell utilities
MedlinePlus says people who use oxygen at home should tell the fire department, the electric company, and the phone company. The power company may try to restore power sooner. Keep those phone numbers easy to find. Tell family, friends, and neighbors, too. They can help in an emergency. If a concentrator is used, a backup tank is needed. Tell your nurse if one is missing.
Plan ahead
Medicines and power
CDC says to plan for medicines that must stay cold, and for medical devices, in case the power goes out. CDC also says to use flashlights instead of candles in an outage. If the family asks how to get ready, share what your agency has given you, and send other questions to your nurse.
On your shift
A change at home
Mrs. Ortiz has a hospice emergency card on her fridge. It says her son will drive her to his house if they must leave. Today you learn her son moved to another state. Mrs. Ortiz now uses a wheelchair and new oxygen. You tell your nurse right away, so the team can update her plan.
Quick review
Know and report
Let's review. Each home health patient has an individual emergency plan, often an emergency card. Hospices and home health agencies must tell officials about patients who need help leaving home. Officials need to know about walking, equipment, power needs, and special needs. Know where the plan is kept. Report changes in the home to your nurse.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Your agency's emergency card or individual plan form, and where it is kept in the home
Your agency's patient priority or acuity levels for emergencies, if used
How aides report changes that affect a patient's emergency plan
Stay safe from power lines, generators and heat while you care for patients at home.
Check in
Stay in touch
When an emergency stops or slows home visits, the agency must follow up with staff and patients. It must find out what services patients need. CMS gives an example of staff checking in every 2 or 4 hours while on shift. Your agency will tell you how often to check in, and with whom. Do it, even if you are fine.
Can't reach someone
Tell the agency
If you can't reach a patient, or can't get to their home, tell your agency right away. The rules say home health agencies and hospices must tell state and local officials about any patients or on-duty staff they can't contact. So your report matters. It can help officials find people who need help.
Your safety
Roads and lines
You can't help others if you get hurt. CDC says never touch a fallen power line. Don't drive through standing water if power lines are down in it. If someone may have had an electric shock, call 911. If you can't get to a home safely, stop and call your agency.
Show the answer
The agency must tell officials about patients it can't contact. The rules require home health agencies and hospices to report people they can't reach.
During a visit
Follow the plan
Sometimes an emergency starts while you are in the home. Call 911 for a fire or a life-threatening emergency. Then call your agency. Use the patient's emergency plan. It tells you who to call and where the patient will go. Follow your agency's steps on whether to stay with the patient until help arrives.
Generators
Outside only
Families may use generators to power oxygen or other equipment. CDC says generators must be outside, at least 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents. Never in a home, basement, or garage. CDC also says to use a battery carbon monoxide detector. If anyone has a headache, dizziness, or nausea, get help right away.
Heat waves
Check often
In a heat wave, CDC says caregivers should visit older adults at least twice a day. Ask if they are drinking enough. Ask if they have air conditioning and know how to keep cool. Watch for signs of heat illness. CDC says people who live alone are at higher risk. Report any concerns to your nurse the same day.
Service changes
Agency decides
CMS says that in an emergency, an agency may change or pause some visits. For a longer disaster, it may move patients to a hospital or nursing home. Your schedule may change. You may be sent to different patients. Follow your agency's directions, and keep checking in.
On your shift
A storm hits
A storm knocks out power while you are at Mr. Black's home. His concentrator stops. You call your agency right away. The nurse talks his wife through starting the backup tank. On your next drive, you see a power line down across the road. You stay away, turn around, and call your agency to report you can't reach your next patient.
Quick review
Check in, stay safe
Let's review. Check in with your agency as your plan says. Report any patient you can't reach. The agency must tell officials. Never touch fallen power lines or drive through water near them. Generators stay outside, 20 feet from the home. In heat waves, check on older adults often. Follow your agency's directions as plans change.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Your agency's check-in schedule and who you check in with
What to do if you cannot reach a patient or get to a home
Agency rule on staying with a patient until help arrives
Backup ways to reach the agency if phones are down
Lesson 9: After an Emergency: Accounting for People and Sharing Information
In this lesson you will:
Help account for every resident, patient and coworker.
Check in with your employer as the plan says.
Share information only through the people your plan names.
Who is safe
Count everyone
OSHA says an emergency plan must include a way to account for everyone after an evacuation. This is often a head count at the meeting spot. Give the person in charge the names and last known places of anyone missing. OSHA warns that confusion at the meeting spot can delay the rescue of someone who is trapped.
Track residents
Where is everyone
Nursing homes must track where on-duty staff and residents are, during and after an emergency. If people are moved, the facility must write down the name and location of where they went. CMS says the system can be on paper or on a computer. A paper backup helps when the power is out. Follow your plan's form.
Staff check-in
Report yourself
CMS says facilities can have staff check in with a named person during an emergency. Home health agencies and hospices must follow up with on-duty staff and patients. So check in as your plan says, even if you are safe. Your employer may need to know who can work and who needs help.
Show the answer
Your employer must know where staff are and who can work. The rules require tracking or following up with on-duty staff.
Contact plan
Backup ways
Each communication plan must list names and contact information for staff. It must have a main way and a backup way to reach staff and emergency officials. CMS says backup ways matter when power or phones are out. Keep your phone number and address up to date with your employer, so the plan can reach you.
Privacy
Share through the plan
In an emergency, families will want news. Reporters may ask questions too. The communication plan sets how information about a person's condition and location is shared, as federal privacy rules allow. Records must stay private and safe. Send questions to the person your plan names. Don't post photos or details online.
Families
Shared information
A nursing home's communication plan must include a way to share parts of the emergency plan with residents and families. It must also list contact information for the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. If a family member asks you what the plan is, tell your nurse or supervisor, so the right person can answer.
After it ends
Lessons learned
After each drill or real emergency, the team must look at how the response went. Then they change the plan as needed. CMS says training should be updated with the lessons learned. Tell your supervisor what worked and what didn't. Your ideas can make the next response safer.
On your shift
A worried family
After a storm, residents were moved to a sister facility. A resident's daughter calls you on your cell phone. She asks where her mother is. You tell her you will have the right person call her back. Then you give her name and number to the person your plan names.
Quick review
Account and share
Let's review. Help count everyone, and report anyone missing by name and last known place. Residents and staff are tracked during and after an emergency. Check in as your plan says, even if you are fine. Keep your contact information current. Share information only through the people your plan names. Help make the plan better after each event.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Assembly areas and who takes the head count
How staff check in during an emergency (phone, text line, place)
Who shares information with families and the media
Follow smoking rules and help with a fire watch if asked.
Prevent fires
Know the hazards
The best fire is one that never starts. OSHA says fires can start from heat-making equipment, stored chemicals that burn, and bad electrical wiring. Your employer must tell you about the fire hazards of your job when you start. A fire prevention plan also controls the build-up of trash and other things that burn.
Built-in safety
Sprinklers and alarms
Nursing homes must follow a fire safety code called the Life Safety Code. They must have sprinklers throughout the building, and smoke alarms or smoke detectors. Hall doors, and doors to rooms where things that burn are stored, must latch shut. These all work together. Your job is to help keep them working.
Clear exits
Never blocked
OSHA says exit routes must be free and clear at all times. Exit doors must be unlocked so people can get out. Your facility will explain any secured doors, such as on a memory care unit. Exits must be well lit and marked. Don't leave carts, wheelchairs, linen bins, or boxes in the way. If you see a blocked exit, clear it if you can, and report it.
Show the answer
Clear it if you can, and report it. OSHA says exit routes must be free and clear at all times.
Doors
Let them latch
Doors that must latch can only protect people if they close. Don't prop open doors your facility says must stay closed. Don't block a door so it can't close all the way. If a door won't latch, report it to maintenance or your supervisor.
Smoking
Follow the policy
Nursing homes must have smoking policies that protect residents who don't smoke. CMS says a facility may have smoking areas, and may supervise residents who need help to smoke safely. It may keep matches and lighters away from residents who need supervision. Smoking near oxygen is never allowed. Visitors should be told the smoking rules, too.
Electric hazards
Report damage
Faulty wiring can start fires. Report cords that are frayed, plugs that feel hot, and outlets that spark. Follow your facility's rules on residents' own electric items, like heaters or blankets. Don't try to fix electrical problems yourself.
Fire watch
Extra eyes
Sometimes a sprinkler system has to be shut off. If it is off for more than 10 hours, the nursing home must move people out of that area, or set up a fire watch. A fire watch means people walk the area and watch for fire until the sprinklers work again. If you are asked to help, follow the instructions exactly.
On your shift
A blocked hallway
On your way to break, you see a meal cart, two wheelchairs, and a linen bin parked in front of the exit door at the end of the hall. You move the wheelchairs and bin to the storage room. You tell the dietary aide the cart must move. Then you tell your charge nurse, so it doesn't happen again.
Quick review
Prevent and protect
Let's review. Watch for heat sources, things that burn, and bad wiring. Sprinklers, alarms, and latching doors protect everyone. Keep exits clear, lit, and unlocked. Let doors close. Report doors that won't latch. Follow the smoking policy. Report electric hazards. Help with a fire watch if asked.
Your facility's policy (ask your supervisor):
Where extinguishers, pull stations and exits are on each unit (map)
How to report a blocked exit or a door that won't latch
Secured or delayed-exit doors and how staff open them
Answer every question. You need 80% to pass. You can try again as many times as you like.
Your quiz covers the lessons for: Nursing home ( questions). Change your setting
Please read
This free course gives you a certificate of completion from Pact Compliance. It is not continuing education (CE) credit and is not approved by any state.
Your employer decides whether it counts toward required in-service hours. Home health and hospice aide training must be given or supervised by the agency's registered nurse.
California: it does not count toward CNA or HHA renewal hours.
Part of this topic needs a hands-on check with your supervisor; this online course does not cover that part.
Your name and quiz answers stay in your browser and are never sent to Pact.
Pact Compliance LLC, Cordova, TN
Certificate of Completion
This certifies that
completed the online in-service course
Emergency Preparedness and Fire Safety
Setting
Completed
Seat time
Quiz score
Certificate ID
This free course gives you a certificate of completion from Pact Compliance. It is not continuing education (CE) credit and is not approved by any state. Your employer decides whether it counts toward required in-service hours. Home health and hospice aide training must be given or supervised by the agency's registered nurse. California: it does not count toward CNA or HHA renewal hours.
Part of this topic needs a hands-on check with your supervisor; this online course does not cover that part.
Pact does not keep a record of this certificate. Print it or save it as a PDF and give a copy to your supervisor. pactcompliance.com/free-training/emergency-preparedness-fire-safety/
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