REVIEW OF EMERGENCY PLANS FOR NCDHHS REQUIREMENTS
ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES
In accordance with North Carolina Administrative Code, any newly licensed assisted living facility licensed by the North Carolina Medical Care Commission must submit an emergency preparedness plan to the local emergency management agency within 30 days of obtaining a new license. Additionally, any currently licensed residential housing facility licensed by the North Carolina Medical Care Commission must submit their emergency preparedness plan annually to the local emergency management agency. (10A NCAC 13G .0316)
North Carolina Administrative Code identifies an "assisted living facility" as any group housing and services program for two or more unrelated adults, by whatever name it is called, that makes available, at a minimum, one meal a day and housekeeping services and provides personal care services directly or through a formal written agreement with one or more licensed home care or hospice agencies. This code states there are three types of assisting living residences:
- Adult care homes
- Adult care homes that serve only elderly persons
- Multiunit assisted housing with services.
Our Emergency Management Division will gladly assist your facility by reviewing your plan, and making any recommendations to your plan, but we do not "approve" your plan. We also understand that your facility must have these plans as part of your annual inspection by the NC Department of Health & Human Services. To assure you are in compliance, we strongly suggest you plan accordingly by submitting your emergency preparedness plan far in advance with all the require materials listed below. Unfortunately, due to limited staff we are not able to accommodate any requests that do not allow for at least 10 business days for review.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STAFF WILL REVIEW YOUR ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN WITHIN 10 BUSINESS DAYS FROM THE DATE OF SUBMITTAL.
MENTAL HEALTH, COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES
In accordance with North Carolina Administrative Code, any facility whose primary purpose is to provide services for the care, treatment, habilitation, or rehabilitation of individuals with mental illnesses or intellectual or other developmental disabilities or substance abusers (NCGS 122C-3), must develop a written fire and disaster plan and shall make a copy of these plans available to the county emergency services agency upon request. (10A NCAC 27G .0207) Harnett County Emergency Management does not request or require any mental health or other facility to submit these plans for review. In the event a plan is needed to be reviewed by our agency, we will request it directly from the facility. We will not review any plans for these types of facilities that are submitted, unless we request or require them in advance. We do recommend you comply with all other requirements of 10A NCAC 27G .0207 which includes:
- Assuring the plans are made available to all staff
- Evacuation routes and procedures be posted in the facility
- Fire and disaster drill should be held quarterly for each shift and
- Each facility shall have a first aid kit accessible for use.
SUBMITTING MY ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN FOR REVIEW
Submit your plans by email to hcem@harnett.org . You are required to submit the following items when emailing:
- The facility emergency plans (Click here for Free Emergency Plan Template)
- Completed copy of the "crosswalk" planning criteria workbook (Click Here for the Workbook)
- Facility Fire Plan that has been reviewed by the Harnett County Fire Marshal's Office
If you do not submit all of three of the required items, we will NOT begin review of your plan until we receive all the materials.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I SUBMIT MY PLAN FOR REVIEW?
Within 10 business days of submittal, our staff will review your emergency plan. Upon completion of the review, we will send back a copy of the workbook with any suggestions or comments. Harnett County Emergency Management does not approve any plans, however, our goal is to help you provide the best possible emergency plans for your residents.
FORMS & MORE INFO FOR PLAN REVIEW - CLICK ON ANY LINK BELOW
Planning Criteria Workbook for Residential Healthcare Facilities
Guide for Adult Care Facilities: Disaster Response and Recovery Planning
Any questions may be directed to the Harnett County Emergency Management Division office by calling 910-893-7580 or emailing hcem@harnett.org