47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

ut the line to the fire station was cut. Heat-activated fire suppressionsystems continued to function where sufficient waterpressure was available, but dry standpipes might not have beensupplied with water in the event of a fire. Directional signs inmany hospitals were blown away. In the rush for care after thehospitals were accessible, it was necessary to put up temporarysignage to route the large volume of visitors and patients to theright destination.4.2.12 SummaryThe General Accounting Office (GAO) report to Congress on theevacuation of hospitals and nursing homes noted that administratorsshould “consider several issues when deciding to evacuateor to shelter in place, including the availability of adequate resourcesto shelter in place, the risks to patients in deciding whento evacuate, the availability of transportation to move patientsand of receiving facilities to accept patients, and the destructionof the facility’s or community’s infrastructure.” For new facilities,most of these issues can and should be addressed duringsite selection, risk assessment, and application of the appropriateplanning and design recommendations described in this manual.For existing facilities, careful evaluation and consideration of therecommendations provided in this manual should help ensuregreater resilience during flooding and high-wind hazard events.In this way, communities can continue to depend on these facilitiesboth for the care of existing patients and the care of peoplein disaster emergencies.OBSERVATIONS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF CRITICAL FACILITIES4-25