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Ready for Anything: A Disaster Planning Manual for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs

What are the physical attributes of my facility?

Are you running a single shelter, or are the young people you serve scattered across numerous sites around the community? Each of these scenarios requires different considerations.

Single facility

Because you are only planning for one site, issues such as evacuations, supplies, staff management, and communication become less complex than if you were managing several sites at once. One comprehensive disaster guide is almost certainly sufficient.

Multiple sites

Do you shelter youth with host-home families? Do your transitional living program youth live independently in off-site apartments? Do you operate several of your own facilities around town?

For programs with multiple sites, the disaster planning process is complex. The likelihood of small-scale, facility-specific disasters (kitchen fires, basement floods, or power outages, for example) means that each site should have its own unique disaster plan in place. Each site should also conduct its own trainings for residents and staff. On a larger scale, though, you must ensure that your disaster plans address how the different sites will communicate with one another, particularly in events requiring region-wide evacuations or the sharing of limited resources (such as transportation). It is critical that you decide early on in the planning process how your sites will work together in the event of an emergency!

What if I have multiple sites? Ask yourself:

Is each location responsible for its own disaster response planning, or will each be considered an extension of your primary facility?

If each facility, apartment, or host home is drafting its own emergency plan, how will you ensure the plan is complete and comprehensive?

Is each location responsible for its own disaster response planning, or will each be considered an extension of your primary facility?

How will you conduct drills and training with those off site?

If you plan to bring offsite youth together at your main facility or an evacuation site in an emergency, how will you provide for their transportation?

How will you ensure that you have enough emergency supplies to provide for both your normal population and these additional youth?

How will you communicate with offsite young people in the event of an emergency that knocks out power or phone lines?

How will you communicate with host home families during an emergency to ensure their safety and the safety of youth in their care?

Taking Stock

While local building codes and fire regulations will provide much guidance in risk management and disaster prevention, there are other issues for you to consider on your own. Spend an hour or two touring your facility and completing the following worksheet:

How many smoke detectors does your facility have? Where are they located?_Are they all operational? What about fire alarms?

How many fire extinguishers do you have on site? Where are they located? What types of extinguishers are they? Has staff been trained in using the fire extinguisher? Have extinguishers recently been inspected?

How many exits does the facility have? Are all door and window locks working? Are all of the exits accesssible? Are they clearly labeled?

What area within the facility offers the most protection for a “shelter-in-place” scenario?

Where are the water and gas shut-off valves located? What about the circuit breaker box? Are they accessible and clearly labeled?

Are all areas of the facility well lit? In cases of power outage, do you have the means to provide emergency lighting?

Do any areas of the facility require repair or extra attention?

How many smoke detectors does the facility have? Where are they located? Are they all operational? What about fire alarms?

Your facility should have, at a minimum, one smoke detector per floor. Ideally, there will be one in every common area, kitchen, and sleeping room. They should be installed either on the ceiling or high on the wall. You should also ensure that they are dual-sensor smoke detectors, which combine ionization alarms (which detect flaming, fast-moving fires) and photoelectric alarms (which detect smoldering, smoky fires) into one unit.

Every smoke detector in your facility should be tested once a month. The batteries should be replaced once a year. Track this regular maintenance in the log in Appendix B.

If your facility has pull-handle fire alarms, make sure youth and staff know where they are located. All pull alarms should be accessible—not blocked by furniture or other obstacles. If you do not have pull alarms, you must have some other means of sounding a facility-wide alarm (such as a PA system or an air horn) in the event that an immediate evacuation becomes necessary.

How many fire extinguishers do you have on site? Where are they located? What types of extinguishers are they? Have they been recently inspected?

Fire Categories

Class A: Fires involving ordinary combustible material (wood, paper, most plastic). Can be extinguished with water.

Class B: Fires involving flammable or combustible material (gasoline, kerosene, grease). Water will spread these fires!

Class C: Fires involving electrical equipment (wiring, outlets, appliances). Water can cause electrical shock!

There should be at least one easily accessible fire extinguisher in your facility’s kitchen, as well as in any other area where open fires take place. Ideally, you will have at least one fire extinguisher on every floor. Every fire extinguisher in your facility should be rated ABC—capable of putting out multiple categories of fires (see box on left).

Be sure that staff feel comfortable using fire extinguishers or are trained in using them.

Every fire extinguisher in your facility should be inspected once a month to ensure that it is fully charged. At least once a year, each extinguisher should undergo a more complete maintenance check, which may require you to contract with a fire safety company or the local fire department. You can schedule and track these monthly and yearly inspections on your maintenance log (Appendix B).

How many exits does the facility have? Are all door and window locks working? Are all of the exits accessible? Are they clearly labeled?

Your facility should have at least two unobstructed exits. Ideally, every sleeping room will also have its own means of emergency exit—typically, a window fire escape. Be sure to check that all windows can be opened easily. All window and door locks should be easy to disengage from inside. Spare keys should be available to all staff.

All exits should be clearly labeled, ideally with a lit sign. Clear floor plans should be posted on every floor and in every sleeping room. Each floor plan should show people where they are in the building and give them two possible ways to get outside. The fastest and most direct way should be marked in one color, and the alternate route in another.

What area within the facility offers the most protection for a “shelter-in-place” scenario?

Some disaster scenarios require that you and the young people you serve move to a secure space within your facility—a safe room—to wait for the situation to pass. Look for a room that doesn’t have windows and can be closed off from the rest of the facility. Below-ground floors are preferable, although you need to take flood risk into account. If a below-ground shelter is not possible, consider a ground-floor shelter. Avoid choosing a safe room above the ground floor.

Keep in your safe room material that you can use to further seal it off from the rest of the house—duct tape to cover window and door cracks, plastic sheeting to cover vent openings, and so forth. You should also able to access all of your facility’s emergency supplies—including a battery-powered or hand-crank radio for news updates—from within the safe room.

Where are the water and gas shut-off valves located? What about the circuit breaker box? Are they accessible and clearly labeled?

Shutting off the water quickly can prevent extensive—and costly—damage from burst water pipes. Shutting off the gas in the event of disasters like tornados and fires can prevent explosions. Shutting off the electricity quickly can save a life. Your shut-off valves and the circuit breaker box should be clearly labeled and easily accessible to all staff. Likewise, every circuit in the circuit breaker box should be plainly identified.

Are all areas of the facility well lit? In cases of power outage, do you have the means to provide emergency lighting?

Good lighting is an important element of disaster prevention. Common areas within your facility—hallways, staircases, bathrooms—should be well lit at all times to prevent accidents. The exterior of your facility should remain lit at night for security.

Electrical outages during disaster scenarios are common. While keeping an emergency generator on site is probably an unnecessary expense (and a potential safety risk as well), having a good supply of battery-powered or hand-crank flashlights is a simple and cost-effective way to provide emergency lighting. Ideally, there will be at least one flashlight in every sleeping room, common room, and office. Flashlight batteries should be tested at least once per month and replaced if necessary. You can track these monthly tests on your maintenance log (Appendix B).

Another option is emergency glow sticks, which can be ordered in large quantities and kept for 2 years or more.

Candles do not provide effective emergency lighting. They don’t provide much light, and they’re a fire risk.

Do any areas of the facility require repair or extra attention?

Adequate building maintenance is an important part of disaster prevention. Loose carpeting, rotting porch planks, stairs with worn tread, and other common “wear and tear” issues can lead to preventable injuries. Minor maintenance problems can lead to larger, more expensive, and potentially more dangerous issues down the road. Take stock of what repairs and general maintenance your facility requires, and then prioritize. Which ones are most important? Which ones can wait? Revisit this list regularly, and set a specific timetable for completing each item.

Check your facility regularly, at least once every season. Each time, add any new maintenance requirements to your list. You can schedule and track seasonal maintenance checks on your maintenance log (Appendix B).

Moving on: Facility Checklist

	Test smoke detectors and track monthly checks on the maintenance log (Appendix B)
	Test fire extinguishers and track monthly/yearly inspections on the maintenance log
	Test facility locks; ensure locks can be easily opened from inside
	Ensure facility exits (doors and windows) are unobstructed
	Post facility floor plans (each showing current location within the facility and two exits) in sleeping and common rooms
	Identify facility “safe room”
	Label facility shut-off valves and circuit breaker box
	Inspect facility interior and exterior lighting fixtures; replace burnt bulbs
	Acquire emergency lighting supply
	Inspect battery supply for all existing emergency lighting; schedule and track monthly battery checks on maintenance log
	Inspect overall facility for required maintenance; track seasonal inspections on maintenance log

How ready is my staff for an emergency? >>

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