Emergency/Disaster Preparedness Plan
Emergency/Disaster Preparedness Plan
- The Ambu bag is your PRIMARY piece of emergency equipment. This should be with your child at all times.
- Have an emergency contact list of providers and family members readily accessible.
- Ensure the ‘Go-Bag’ travels with your child at all times.
- Your home should have fire extinguisher, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector. Check batteries every 6 months.
Long Term Loss of Power
- Ensure back-up ventilator battery has full charge. Check this daily. The internal battery only provides power to the ventilator for a limited amount of time.
- You can estimate how long power is expected to be out by calling local power provider.
- RG&E (800-456-5153)
- NYS Electric and Gas (800-456-5153)
- National Grid (315-428-5140)
- Identify a facility with a backup power source(such as emergency power generator). Call and discuss your child’s needs, and availability of the facility during possible emergency. Possible facilities include:
- Local police, fire or EMS station
- Nearest hospital
- Local hotel
- Friend or family member who has not lost power, or has a generator at their home
- When power is restored, ensure settings of the ventilator and other devices have not changed, as some will reset to factory settings.
Options for Back-Up Power at Home
- External battery pack
- This is a portable battery that produces AC and/or DC power.
- There are different types and capacities, typically this will need to produce more than 300 watts to power a ventilator alone.
- This needs to be kept to a maximum charge, follow manufacturer instructions.
- Generator
- Generators need to be stored in a well ventilated area. Apartment buildings are not appropriate for generator use due to being gas powered.
- Talk with your DME provider to calculate how much power is needed to power devices
- Car Battery and Power Inverter
- Do not leave car running in an enclosed space due to carbon monoxide.
- Do not use a humidifier device in a car.