Wash. Admin. Code § 110-302-0470

Current through Register Vol. 24-23, December 1, 2024

Section 110-302-0470 - Emergency preparedness plan

(1) ONB programs must have and ONB providers must follow a written emergency preparedness plan. The plan must be reviewed and approved by the department prior to being licensed as an ONB program and prior to when the ONB provider makes substantial changes to the ONB program or premises. Emergency preparedness plans must:

(a) Be designed to respond to fire, natural disasters, and other emergencies that might affect the ONB program;

(b) Be specific to the ONB program and able to be implemented during hours of operation;

(c) Address what the ONB provider would do if a staff member has an emergency to ensure children are not left unsupervised;

(d) Address what the ONB program must do if parents are not able to get to their children for up to three days;

(e) Follow the requirements contained in chapter 212-12 WAC, Fire marshal standards and the state fire marshal's office requirements of an ONB program;

(f) Be reviewed at program orientation, annually with all ONB program staff with documented signatures, and when the plan is updated;

(g) Be reviewed with parents or guardians when a child is enrolled and when the plan is updated; and

(h) Apply to all locations where an ONB program is licensed to operate.

(2) The written emergency preparedness plan must cover at a minimum:

(a) Disaster evacuation plans, including fires that require evacuation from a building and outdoor fires or encounters with dangerous wildlife that require evacuation from the outdoor natural space into the nearby emergency shelter or alternative evacuation location.

(i) An evacuation floor plan of any building being used by the ONB program that identifies room numbers or names of rooms, emergency exit pathways, emergency exit doors, and emergency exit windows if applicable;

(ii) Methods to be used for sounding an alarm or informing children of the danger and calling 911;

(iii) Actions to be taken by a person discovering an emergency;

(iv) How the ONB provider will evacuate children, especially those who cannot walk independently. This may include children with disabilities, functional needs requirements, or other special needs;

(v) Where the emergency shelter and evacuation route are located;

(vi) What to take when evacuating children including, but not limited to:

(A) First-aid kit(s);

(B) Copies of emergency contact information;

(C) Child medication records; and

(D) Individual children's medication, if applicable.

(vii) How the ONB provider will maintain the required staff-to-child ratio and account for all children;

(viii) How parents or guardians will be able to contact the ONB program; and

(ix) How children will be reunited with their parents or guardians after the event.

(b) Earthquake procedures including:

(i) What an ONB provider will do during an earthquake;

(ii) How an ONB provider will account for all children; and

(iii) Except for ONB programs that enroll only school-age children and operate on public or private school premises, how an ONB provider will coordinate with local or state officials to determine if the licensed space is safe for children after an earthquake.

(c) Public safety related lockdown scenarios when an individual at or near an ONB program is harming or attempting to harm others with or without a weapon. This plan must include lockdown of the ONB program or shelter-in-place including:

(i) How doors and windows will be secured to prevent access, if needed; and

(ii) Where children will safely stay inside the ONB license space, or inside an alternate evacuation location for an ONB program without a suitable structure in the licensed area.

(d) Missing child protocols pursuant to WAC 110-302-0475. Missing child protocols for ONB programs must also include how staff will:

(i) Immediately check for the child's presence at hazardous features, such as a ravine, cliff, road, or body of water, within a quarter mile of the ONB program; and

(ii) Manage the behavior of the remaining children, and using techniques described in WAC 110-302-0310(4).

(e) Extreme weather procedures including, but not limited to, a description of the following:

(i) How staff will determine whether to cancel or alter the scheduled daily ONB program based on weather including, but not limited to:

(A) Strong winds, including gusts over 25 mph;

(B) Extreme cold or heat, pursuant to WAC 110-302-0147;

(C) Unhealthy air quality;

(D) Lightning storm;

(E) Tornado;

(F) Hurricane;

(G) Falling trees or large branches; or

(H) Flooding, tsunami, or seiche;

(ii) How staff will inform parents and guardians of canceled or altered daily ONB programs;

(iii) How staff will determine a need to use the emergency shelter;

(iv) How staff will contact families if extreme weather requires a cancellation of the ONB program after the day has already begun;

(v) How and where staff will care for children whose parents cannot be contacted when the ONB program is canceled after the day has already begun;

(vi) The factors that will be used for determining how long staff will remain at the emergency shelter with children before relocating to an alternate evacuation location;

(vii) How staff and children will relocate to an alternate evacuation location (i.e., transportation);

(viii) How the ONB provider will maintain the required staff-to-child ratio and account for all children; and

(ix) How parents will be notified of emergencies, evacuations, and how children will be reunited with their parents or guardians after the event.

(f) A description for how parents or guardians will be contacted after the emergency ends.

(3) ONB providers must keep on the premises a three-day supply of food, water, blankets for possible overnight stay, and life-sustaining medication for the licensed capacity of children and current staff for use in case of an emergency. An ONB program must ensure these resources are available at the alternate evacuation location.

(a) For an ONB program that enrolls only school-age children and operates on public or private school premises, if the school on the premises has an existing three-day supply of food and water that would sustain the ONB program's license capacity of children and staff, the ONB program may submit to the department documentation from the school verifying the school agrees to allow the ONB program to access and use the three-day supply of food and water in an emergency.

(4) ONB providers must practice and record emergency drills with staff and children as follows:

(a) Disaster evacuation drills, such as for fire or encounters with dangerous wildlife, once each calendar month;

(b) Earthquake, lockdown, high winds, flooding, shelter-in-place, or missing child drill once every two calendar months;

(c) Emergency drills must be conducted with a variety of staff and at different times of the day; and

(d) Drills must be recorded on a department form and include:

(i) The date and time of the drill;

(ii) The number of children and staff who participated;

(iii) The length of the drill; and

(iv) Notes about how the drill went and how it may be improved.

(5) In areas where local emergency plans are already in place, such as school districts, ONB programs may adopt or amend such procedures when developing their own plan.

Wash. Admin. Code § 110-302-0470

Adopted by WSR 23-10-059, Filed 5/1/2023, effective 6/1/2023