emergency planning

Question 1

What types of emergencies can affect a Food Services dept?

Answer 1

Accidents or natural disasters (e.g., Plane crash, flooding, forest fire) Mechanical/equipment failures (i.e. walk-in freezer failure)
Widespread Illness (e.g., H1N1)
Any emergency that affects the rest of the facility

Question 2

Determine potential types of emergencies that can affect your area

Answer 2

British Columbia = earthquake, tsunami, forest fire, etc.
Saskatchewan = tornado, power failure during extreme cold snap, blizzard, etc.
What are the potential impacts of the emergency on your ability to use equipment/facility?
Do you have back-up power to your fridges/freezers?
Running water?
Is your facility an emergency gathering place for the public?
If yes, are you responsible for providing food to the public?

Question 3

Once you’ve determined your potential risks/needs. You need to consider:

Answer 3

Staffing needs (usually has emergency plan- everyone usually pitches in, mock scenarios)
Equipment needs
‘Back up’ food resources
Determine your menu — including therapeutic diet requirements

Question 4

Staffing Needs

Based on what you anticipate the issues to be:

Answer 4

Will you need more staff to perform tasks in areas that are normally performed by machines (i.e. dish washing)
Will you need less staff in areas that will be closed in an emergency (i.e. cafeteria)
Are you able to second employees from another area to assist? e.g.,can clinical RDs be routed to foodservice operation?

Does staff know what to do in an emergency situation?
Training
EPP manual
Communication plan

Question 5

Equipment Needs

Answer 5

Will you have back up electricity?
Will you need to move food from freezers or fridges?
Will you have access to stoves? Dishwashers? Steam?
Will you have overhead lighting?
What about computers and dietary software?
How will you know which patients need a special diet?
Do you need to collaborate with other depts to create your plan?

Question 6

Food needs

Answer 6

Do you have room to store extra food for an emergency?
If yes, how will you rotate your stock to make sure if doesn’t spoil
How much extra to store?
If no, where can you get food in an emergency?
What about back-up supplies of napkins, disposable dishes, cutlery etc?

in large institutions you usully have contact with the suppliers but smaller ones will have to go to grocery stores

Question 7

Determine your Menu

Answer 7

How many days will you plan for?
Will you have electricity, refrigeration, computers?
Who will you be feeding?
Patients, staff, public, etc
Will there be special nutrition needs (i.e. elderly, infants, therapeutic diets)
Are you required to keep extra inventory on-hand?

Question 8

Menu Content

Answer 8

What are some specialty menu items that need to be included on an emergency menu?
For infants?
People with therapeutic diet requirements (e.g., diabetes, renal)?
Patients needing texture modification?

Do you think it is better to plan a menu in advance or plan as-needed?
good to have something even if you need to modify it.

What are the benefits and draw-backs of each approach?

if too much planning the food can sit on the shelf until it expires, could plan for the wrong disaster example H1N1

should have low sugar content for those with diabetes - always have these ingredients on hand