FLORIDA’S GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT just signed a bill requiring nursing homes and assisted living facilities to have back-up generators sufficient to maintain 81 degree temperatures (or less) and enough fuel for three days.
But the bill still falls short of what must be done to protect the residents.
ACCORDING TO THE Sun-Sentinel1, The new rules mandate that nursing homes and assisted living facilities have an alternative power supply capable of maintaining the temperature at 81 degrees or less for a minimum of four days. Portable power sources can be used, but they must provide at least 30 square feet of cool space for each resident.
Facilities will need to have three days worth of fuel available on site, but assisted living facilities with fewer than 17 beds would be allowed to keep a two-day supply.
A West Palm Beach tv station2 reports that Florida law now requires nursing homes to have backup power capability and adequate fuel supplies to maintain air conditioning for 96 hours after loss of electricity.
A LITTLE HISTORY
Back in September Hurricane Irma struck south Florida.3
It knocked out power to many, including the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. The center is located directly across the street from a fully staffed regional Level 1 trauma center (Memorial Regional). The hospital, preparing for the storm, sent as many patients home as medically feasible; it had empty beds.
The loss of power ended up causing a number of residents to die unnecessarily.
Interesting that the bill requires a power supply able to maintain 81o F for FOUR days but fuel for the power generator for only THREE days.
Unless the bill demands that the alternative power supply be checked regularly, the bill is a waste of time, paper, and web space.
There are several ways a generator can be fueled.
- Fuel from an on-site storage tank, preferably underground.
- LP or natural gas piped to the generator.
- Propane tanks stored on site.
Underground fuel storage – typically Diesel fuel – usually is the preferred option; there is not a lot of underground gas (LP, natural gas) lines in south Florida (although Hollywood, where the nursing home is (was) located has some gas lines in place).
Assume – always a dangerous thing – that the facility has an underground fuel tank.
Unless the bill requires that the tank be “sticked” to check how much fuel is available AND unless the fuel is checked to assure it has not been “watered down” to the point of uselessness by natural causes, the requirement for a generator is not just useless, it’s criminal.
Now assume that fuel is provided by underground LP or natural gas lines.
Someone needs to install a pressure gauge near the generator to assure the pressure is sufficient to fuel the generator. Lines leak; lines rupture.
Assuming once more, we’ll assume the generator is fueled by on-site propane tanks. Pressure must be checked to assure the tanks are full. If one propane tank is emptied, will the next tank automatically open to fuel the generator or will someone need to be found and told to open the valve on the next tank – possibly sending the person into a 150 mph storm.
EVEN IF the chosen fuel supply is perfect, there still are questions.
- Will the generator start when needed?
- Will the generator provide the required power to maintain 81o F for four days?
- When was the last time the generator was checked under full load? For how long?
- If the generator need repair, how quickly can a repair person be on site, and how long will it take to fix the problem. Remember, this may be in the middle of a hurricane.
As a young airman in Orlando FL, I know what its like to fight the elements to start generators for the 10 wards of a WW2-era hospital.
Later, working for a shipping company I learned about contaminated fuel from an underground tank.
Been there, done that.
WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
MOVE!
While it never is the best option, sometimes it is the only viable option.
In the case of the Hollywood nursing home, there was a hospital across the street. The hospital, Hollywood Regional (nee’ Hollywood Memorial) had empty beds and easily could have accommodated nursing home residents “for the duration.” (The hospital’s management had discharged as many patients as medically possible and canceled all elective surgeries when it became obvious Hurricane Irma was about to make landfall nearby. This is “Standard Operating Procedure” (SOP) for most hospitals when an “event” – be it environmental or otherwise – is anticipated.)
Residents at the Hollywood nursing home eventually were evacuated to the hospital and other area facilities, but only after heat had taken its toll on a number of residents.
It may be that the generators WILL work and that the fuel supply WILL last until electricity is restored.
But it equally is possible that the generators will fail or that the fuel supply will fail or be contaminated.
BOTTOM LINES
- TEST the generators every three months or more frequently under full load for at least several hours.
- Check the fuel for quantity and quality once a week.
- Check with area hospitals about procedures when an “event” is predicted.
- Identify which residents to relocate and in what order if relocation becomes necessary.
- Know what transportation is needed to safely relocate residents and have it available (on stand-by, AT THE FACILITY).
- Know where the facility stands in the restoration of power; there can only be one “first priority,” and it is likely to be a hospital.
Protecting residents and staff during a predictable event simply is a matter of thinking ahead; think “outside the box” and consider all options.
Waiting until the last minute is waiting too long.
Sources>
1. http://tinyurl.com/y936tlg3
2. http://tinyurl.com/y8vn6856
3. http://tinyurl.com/y9emmp5m
PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.
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