Health care facilities evacuation procedures and you.

Health care facilities is a general term used to describe a multitude of activities. These facilities include, hospital (of various sizes), nursing home, day hospitals, clinics, etc. Depending upon their size, a community exists within the confines of the facility. There is no event affecting commercial or industrial organisation that is comparable to the demands placed upon a hospital and community resources during an emergency. Unlike office buildings, health care facilities typically have special environmental problems such as the presence of oxygen, either reticulated or stored in cylinders, flammable gases and liquids and the conservation of medical records and supplies. The facility's staff are frequently outnumbered by ambulant patients with varying levels of disability. Because many of the patietns are non-ambulant, they depend very much upon others for assistance. Further, in emergency situations, visitors to the health care facility are also a consideration. Evacuation plans must be available for all health care facilities as part of their overall emergency response plan