Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness
the department to perform food service tasks. When staff shortages make it necessary to use
unskilled workers, for example, the tasks and roles they are to perform should be clearly delineated
and their work carefully supervised.
• Service priorities: Priorities should be established for providing food service during
emergencies. The needs of existing patients or residents and disaster victims should be met first,
and then staff and employee needs should be served. Of lower priority would be service to
members of the press, law enforcement officers, families of victims, and so on.
• Coordination: The external plan will need to be coordinated and incorporated into the
organization’s overall policies and procedures and coordinated with law enforcement agencies,
civil defense, local and state fire departments, and rescue and ambulance teams. When applicable,
the Red Cross and the military should be included.
• Participation: Employees on all shifts should participate in a preparedness drill, know
their responsibilities, and act accordingly. Employees should be reminded to always carry identification,
money in small bills, have gas in automobile, and always let someone know where
they are.
Planning for Various Disasters
Like the institution’s disaster plan, the food service department plan should include specific
provisions for a variety of natural disasters common to the facility’s geographical area. For
example, earthquake planning is especially important in California, Alaska, Washington, and
Oregon. Disastrous snow and ice storms should be planned for in the midwestern, northeastern,
and mountain states. Floods occur in all areas of the United States, but institutions located
in floodplains along waterways should be especially careful to plan for these relatively common
disasters. Power shortages and failures often accompany natural disasters, and even summer
thunderstorms, winter blizzards, and short-term localized power blackouts can put health care
institutions on a disaster footing without warning.
Power Failures
The electrical power supplied to health care facilities by local utilities can be cut off or
decreased as a result of equipment failures, blackouts, brownouts, and natural disasters such
as storms, floods, and earthquakes. The problem can last a few minutes or several days. When
it is clear that the power may be off for more than a few minutes, the institution’s procedures
for handling power failures should be followed. The following steps may also be helpful:
• Immediately seal the door frames of all freezers with insulating tape and block the
thresholds of walk-in freezers and refrigerators with blankets or other nonporous materials
to keep warm air from entering.
• If possible, keep perishable food cold with dry ice.
• Use food stored in refrigerators first because it is the most perishable.
• Ask local vendors or other health care institutions for help in storing some of the
frozen food.
• Supply consumers with disposable service ware to make up for limited hot water supplies
and unworkable dishwashers.
• Clean pots, pans, utensils, work surfaces, and other preparation equipment with sanitizing
agents.
Floods and Hurricanes
The National Weather Service issues watches and warnings to alert the public of impending
danger. When these watches or warnings are received, the food service director in correlation
with the organization’s disaster teams should immediately activate the procedures for “before
the storm.” Once the storm hits, the action plan should be implemented, and once the storm is
over, follow the procedures for after the storm.
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