Sheltering in Place – External Chemical Spill Cass/Clay County Health Emergency Preparedness Coalition

Sheltering In Place For External Chemical Spill External chemical spill could be from: - train derailment - industrial accident - interstate/highway accident - terrorist attack - agricultural accident - pipeline leak

Shelter in Place Sheltering-In-Place is the use of a structure and its indoor atmosphere to temporarily separate individuals from a hazardous outdoor atmosphere A shelter in place will last approximately 12 hours or less (usually 1-2 hours), rarely will it go longer for chemical spills

Shelter in Place Please note a Shelter in Place plan is not the same for every event Special considerations should be planned depending on incident threat Examples: tornado, blizzard, flash flood, chemical release

Notification In the event of a shelter in place emergency, you will be notified by: - local public health/ State Health Dept - police or fire dept/hazmat team - radio or television Knowledge of communication capabilities for facility is crucial

Notification A significant factor is the urgency that emergency services use for public warning and immediate action institutions take. Delays in shelter in place implementation or termination can greatly increase indoor air concentration (Chan et al. 2007).

Shelter in Place Actions Activate facility emergency plan Close the facility Order any visitors/residents/staff inside immediately Close and lock all doors and windows to the outside Turn on call forwarding or voic informing callers of shelter in place activity

Selection of Rooms Select interior rooms, above ground level, with few or no windows, few or no vents, with accessible bathroom if possible Rooms with access to landline phone (cellphones may be overwhelmed in time of emergency) Avoid overcrowding if possible by selecting multiple rooms that meet criteria Close shades, blinds, and curtains if told danger of explosion

Selection of Rooms Patient and non-patient areas should be selected Larger facilities may have many shelter areas Have a list of all people in each room

Ventilation Systems Shut off heating or cooling systems (HVAC), fans, heat pumps, fireplace dampers, air conditioners Have employees familiar with the ventilation systems If it is possible, do not use the elevators - operating elevators can cause contaminated air to infiltrate interior of building

Sealing Rooms Seal windows with pre-cut plastic and duct tape (from inside) Seal door edges and bottoms with tape -Use wet towels to seal the bottoms of doors Seal electrical & CATV outlets -with duct tape Seal HVAC ducts and outlets -With duct tape and plastic sheeting

Supplies 7 day supply of food and water for max number of residents/staff 72 hour supply of potable water stored for residents/staff Plan for special diet requirements Stockpile of common medications Supply of medications for each resident Proper medical supplies for resident/patient needs

Supplies Radios and television Linens and towels Extra blankets Hand sanitizer Flashlights/batteries

Loss of Power In most chemical spill emergencies, power is NOT lost Even so, facility should have emergency power plans in place ex: generator plans

End of Shelter in Place Local authorities will determine when it is safe to give the “all clear” If advised, open doors and windows Turn on all ventilation systems to ventilate building

Other Areas of Concern Resident’s family disaster plans Employees’ family disaster plans Security Resident/Patient behavioral health

Planning Prior shelter in place and evacuation planning is crucial Many shelter in place templates and checklists are available Each facility is different

For additional information please contact me: Hunter Hubrig Fargo Cass Public Health