Situational Awareness: Preparing Senior Living Communities for the Unexpected
Situational Awareness: Preparing Senior Living Communities for the Unexpected
A recent explosion at the Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus in Denver highlighted the importance of situational awareness in senior living communities. The incident, caused by construction crews striking a power line, led to a transformer explosion that forced the evacuation of 87 residents. While no fatalities occurred, ten individuals were taken to the hospital for evaluation. This event underscores the risks associated with construction and other non-routine activities in senior living environments.
Stan Szpytek, president of Fire and Life Safety Inc., stresses the need for heightened vigilance during activities like remodeling or maintenance. He recommends discussing such activities in staff meetings or shift changes to ensure preparedness. By fostering proactive communication and maintaining awareness of potential hazards, senior living facilities can better protect residents and staff from unexpected emergencies.
“Staff of communities need to realize it’s not uncommon for mishaps to occur during construction projects, particularly going underground with excavation or overhead work on power and data lines,”
The key to successfully mitigating any emergency is preparedness. CHUG members have access to a comprehensive suite of educational workshops that utilize real-life case studies to teach effective responses to emergency situations. This training can be lifesaving.
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