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DISASTER PLANNING & PROOFING 1 2 STANDING STRONG STRATEGIES FOR DISASTER PROOFING A FACILITY FROM PLANNING PHASES TO OPERATIONS By Andrew Quirk T hreatening weather events present unique challenges to a healthcare facility's safety, with inherent differences to each type of disaster. Such events can include the impact of wind, rain, flooding, seismic activity or a combination of all. It is imperative for hospital owners to prepare for the worst far ahead of time by developing a comprehensive disaster plan that will protect a new or existing facility when Mother Nature strikes. Disaster proofing a facility involves a range of preventive measures, and typically begins before it is built. This includes the use of exterior wall and window systems that can withstand hurricane winds and penetrating rain. Hospital owners will work closely with the construction manager to study the www.mcdmag.com building's geographic location and sea level status to assess potential flooding risks. For example, dependent on sea level, a building's floor elevation may be raised to new heights for protective purposes if critical systems such as its central energy plant and oxygen farm are located near the base. Design is also a large part of the disaster proofing phase. Emergency rooms must have an adaptable design to comfortably accommodate an unprecedented influx of patients. To remain operational, facilities should also have alternative sources of power, such as emergency generators. Seismic/earthquake Some U.S. states more prone to natural disasters have created special programs to ensure facilities can withstand these disasters, as well as natural disasters and other threatening weather conditions. For example, in California, a hotbed for earthquakes, the state's legislature passed the Alfred E. Alquist Facility Seismic Safety Act (Alquist Act) in 1973 to mitigate the risk hospitals face as a result of frequent earthquakes and seismic activity. California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development created a structural rating system to determine how healthcare facilities would withstand threatening seismic activity. OSHPD's structural rating system evaluates the strength of each building's structure by placing each hospital in 1. Frontal exterior view of the Homestead Hospital that is able to endure a Category 5 hurricane with winds that exceed 155 miles per hour. 2. Exterior roof detail on the Homestead Hospital, Fla., a replacement hospital affiliated to the Baptist Health South Florida system, protects the facility from strong winds and projectile objects that may pose risk during a major storm. January/February 2013 | Medical Construction & Design 37