Long-Term Care Toolkit Annex L: Emergency Shut Down

There are several instances where deactivation of facility systems may be required during a disaster/crisis. Examples include:

• Severe weather.
• Floods.
• Winter storm.
• Accidental event (power spike, outage, gas leak, over‐pressurization, etc.).

Specific steps need to be taken to ensure safe shutdown of a system. Label all shut down valves clearly for everyone to see. Mechanical equipment that may be shut down includes:

• Water.
• Natural gas.
• Electric.
• Heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.
• Boilers.
• Computer equipment.

These procedures should only be completed with the approval of the Incident Commander (IC) at the time of the crisis. Shutdown should only be employed during the most extreme of situations if time permits, call in an expert.

• See Contact/Vendor list in communication plan for detailed contact information for vendors; otherwise, 24‐hour emergency numbers are in the (fill in).
• Vendors will be notified when their service is shut down by the facility.
• In addition, all staff members will be notified when services are shut down.
• A site map with the location of shutoffs, emergency exits, in‐facility evacuation routes, fire extinguishers, fire doors is located (fill in). In addition, utilize the (insert facility name here) Emergency Operations Program and Plan Manual.

Important precautions

These procedures should be tested prior to an emergency, to ensure mechanical items are shut down securely and safely. The following precautions must be followed:

• Never stand in water or any fluids when shutting down equipment.
• If you see smoke, fire, gas, or electrical voltage near the area, do not attempt a mechanical shutdown.

*Use Excel document in Appendix C: Communications Plan to show which vendors you would use during an emergency shutoff – 24/7 number included.*