“We have a resident who gets upset by our fire drills, and it affects them the rest of the day. Do we need to have this resident take part in the fire drills?”
I've been asked this question and addressed this issue several times recently, so I thought this was a timely issue to discuss.
Often, when you have a resident who is living with dementia or who has other cognitive barriers, fire drills can be quite confusing and upsetting.
The good news is that you can use a proxy, or substitute, for residents who could benefit from a substitute during fire drills.
How does this work? Well, it takes advanced planning and an understanding of the resident’s needs during the drill. You are required to have a fire evacuation plan that identifies what assistance each resident needs during drills. On your plan, note which resident will require a substitute.
Here are some things to keep in mind when using a substitute:
Plan ahead
It is vital to plan ahead so that you have sufficient staff during your drill when using a substitute. Be sure to have enough staff present during the drill so you have staff to conduct the fire drill, one staff member to be the substitute, and at least one staff member who can stay in the house with the resident who will not be participating. You can also plan your drills around a time you know that particular resident will be out of the house, such as at a doctor’s appointment or with family. You will use the substitute as a stand-in for that resident.
Conduct Your Drill
The staff member who is the substitute will act as if they were the resident. You will assist the substitute exactly as you would assist the resident for whom they are the substitute. Your drills need to be as realistic as possible. You will still need to get all occupants and residents, including the proxy/substitute, to the initial point of safety within three minutes.
Document & Evaluate
On the fire drill record, there is a space to note if a substitute was required, where you will check yes or no. Additionally, at the bottom of the form, you will identify which caregiver was used as a substitute for a resident.
