Audit of Residential Facilities, Final report - Division for Social Policy ...

ooIn addition, emergency exits were often not accessible by wheelchair, trolleys andtri-podsIn 48% of the homes (194) there is no alternate power source which means that inthe case of a power outage, the residents would not be able to attend to basicneeds such as preparing food or having hot water and they would use candles intheir rooms which is a serious fire hazard.The guidelines indicate that homes should have proper emergency exits, fire equipment and thatit must be regularly maintained, alternative power sources should be available in the event of anelectricity failure. In addition, a resident safety protocol must be in place to ensure the day-to-daysafety of staff and residents and a plan for fire and other emergencies including a designatedstaff member or team responsible for implementation of emergency plan.55 | D S D A u d i t o f R e s i d e n t i a l F a c i l i t i e s