R430-50-14. Emergency Preparedness and Response

  (1) The provider shall post the home's street address and emergency numbers, including ambulance, fire, police, and poison control, near a telephone in the home or in an area clearly visible to anyone needing the information.

  (2) The provider shall conduct fire evacuation drills at least once every 6 months. Drills shall include a complete exit of all children, staff, and volunteers from the home.

  (3) The provider shall conduct drills for disasters other than fires at least once every 12 months.

  (4) The provider shall vary the days and times on which fire and other disaster drills are held.

  (5) In case of an emergency or disaster, the provider and all employees shall follow procedures as outlined in the facility's health and safety plan unless otherwise instructed by emergency personnel.

  (6) If the provider must leave the premises due to an emergency, the provider may use an emergency substitute who was not named in the facility's health and safety plan.

  (7) The emergency substitute:

  (a) shall be at least 18 years old;

  (b) is not required to have a CCL background check; and

  (c) is not required to meet the training, first aid, and CPR requirements of this rule.

  (8) Before the provider may leave the children in the care of the emergency substitute, the provider shall first obtain a signed, written statement from the individual that they:

  (a) have not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor;

  (b) do not have a substantiated background finding; and

  (c) are not being investigated for abuse or neglect by any federal, state, or local government agency.

  (9) The emergency substitute's written background statement shall be submitted to the Department for review within 5 working days after the occurrence.

  (10) During the term of the emergency, the emergency substitute may be counted in the caregiver-to-child ratio.

  (11) The provider shall make reasonable efforts to minimize the time that the emergency substitute has unsupervised contact with the children in care, and the amount of time shall not be more than 24 hours per emergency incident.

  (12) The provider shall give parents a written report of every serious incident, accident, or injury involving their child:

  (a) The caregivers involved, the provider, and the person picking up the child shall sign the report on the day of occurrence.

  (b) If school-age children sign themselves out of the facility, a copy of the report shall be sent to the parent on the day following the occurrence.

  (13) If a child is injured and the injury appears serious but not life-threatening, the child's parent shall be contacted immediately.

  (14) In the case of a life-threatening injury to a child, or an injury that poses a threat of the loss of vision, hearing, or a limb:

  (a) emergency personnel shall be called immediately;

  (b) after emergency personnel are called, then the parent shall be contacted;

  (c) if the parent cannot be reached, staff shall try to contact the child's emergency contact person.

  (15) If a child is injured while in care and receives medical attention, or for a child fatality, the provider shall:

  (a) submit a completed accident report form to the Department within the next business day of the incident; or

  (b) contact the Department within the next business day and submit a completed accident report form within 5 business days of the incident.