CALA CALA Emergency Preparedness & Safety 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal agency requires assisted living facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid to have an emergency preparedness plan?
- OSHA
- CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) (Correct answer)
- CDC
- FEMA
Correct answer: CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
CMS requires facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid to develop and maintain comprehensive emergency preparedness plans meeting federal requirements.
Question 2: What are the four core elements of a CMS-compliant emergency preparedness plan for an assisted living facility?
- Risk assessment, communication plan, policies/procedures, training/testing (Correct answer)
- Evacuation routes, food storage, staffing roster, insurance coverage
- Fire drills, lockdown protocols, weather alerts, utility backup
- Incident command, medical records, vendor contracts, press releases
Correct answer: Risk assessment, communication plan, policies/procedures, training/testing
CMS requires emergency preparedness plans to include a risk assessment, communication plan, policies and procedures, and a training and testing program.
Question 3: During an emergency evacuation, what is the assisted living administrator's top priority?
- Protecting financial records
- Ensuring the safety and accounting of all residents and staff (Correct answer)
- Notifying the media
- Securing facility equipment
Correct answer: Ensuring the safety and accounting of all residents and staff
The safety and accurate accounting of all residents and staff is always the top priority during any emergency evacuation.
Question 4: Which type of emergency plan specifically addresses what a facility will do if it must move residents to another location?
- Shelter-in-place plan
- Relocation/evacuation plan (Correct answer)
- Business continuity plan
- Incident command plan
Correct answer: Relocation/evacuation plan
A relocation or evacuation plan details the process for safely moving residents to pre-identified alternate care sites when the facility must be vacated.
Question 5: What is a 'shelter-in-place' strategy in assisted living emergency management?
- Moving residents to an outdoor safe area
- Keeping residents inside the facility during an emergency when evacuation would be more dangerous (Correct answer)
- Locking all doors and windows permanently
- Transferring all residents to a hospital
Correct answer: Keeping residents inside the facility during an emergency when evacuation would be more dangerous
Shelter-in-place means keeping residents inside the facility and moving them to the safest interior areas when external hazards like severe weather or chemical releases make evacuation more dangerous.
Question 6: How often must assisted living facilities typically conduct full emergency evacuation drills?
- Once every 3 years
- Annually, at minimum, with frequency varying by state regulations (Correct answer)
- Monthly
- Only when a new administrator is hired
Correct answer: Annually, at minimum, with frequency varying by state regulations
Most states require assisted living facilities to conduct emergency drills at least annually, though many states require quarterly drills, especially for fire emergencies.
CALA CALA Emergency Preparedness & Safety 1
Which federal agency requires assisted living facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid to have an emergency preparedness plan?