(1) A school-age provider must have and follow a written emergency preparedness plan. The plan must be reviewed and approved by the department prior to when significant changes are made. Emergency preparedness plans must:

(a) Be designed to respond to fire, natural disasters, and other emergencies that might affect the school-age program;

(b) Be specific to the school-age program and able to be implemented during hours of operation;

(c) Address what the provider would do if the provider has an emergency and children may be left unsupervised;

(d) Address what the school-age program must do if parents or guardians are not able to get to their children for up to three days;

(e) Must follow requirements in chapter 212-12 WAC, Fire marshal standards, and the state fire marshal's office requirements;

(f) Be reviewed at program orientation, annually with all school-age program staff with documented signatures, and when the plan is updated; and

(g) Be reviewed with parents or guardians when a child is enrolled and when the plan is updated.

(2) The written emergency preparedness plan must cover at a minimum:

(a) Disaster plans, including fires that may require evacuation:

(i) An evacuation floor plan that identifies room numbers or names of rooms, emergency exit pathways, and emergency exit doors;

(ii) Methods to be used for sounding an alarm and calling 911;

(iii) Actions to be taken by a person discovering an emergency;

(iv) How the school-age provider will evacuate children, especially those who cannot walk independently. This may include children with disabilities, functional needs requirements, or other special needs;

(v) Where the alternate evacuation location is;

(vi) What to take when evacuating children, including:

(A) First-aid kits;

(B) Copies of emergency contact information;

(C) Child medication records; and

(D) Individual children's medication, if applicable.

(vii) How the provider will maintain the required staff-to-child ratio and account for all children;

(viii) How parents or guardians will be able to contact the school-age program; and

(ix) How children will be reunited with their parents or guardians after the event.

(b) Earthquake procedures including:

(i) What a provider will do during an earthquake;

(ii) How a provider will account for all children; and

(iii) For any program that does not operate on public or private school premises, how a provider will coordinate with local or state officials to determine if the licensed space is safe for children after an earthquake.

(c) Public safety related lockdown scenarios where an individual at or near a school-age program is harming or attempting to harm others with or without a weapon. This plan must include lockdown of the school-age program or shelter-in-place steps including:

(i) How doors and windows will be secured to prevent access, if needed; and

(ii) Where children will safely stay inside the school-age program.

(d) How parents or guardians will be contacted after the emergency ends.

(3) A school-age provider must keep on the premises a three-day supply of food, water, and life-sustaining medication for the licensed capacity of children and current staff for use in case of an emergency. If a program is located in a public or private school building with an existing three-day supply of food and water that would sustain the school-age program's licensed capacity of children and staff, the school-age provider may submit to the department documentation from the school verifying the school agrees to allow the school-age program to access and use the three-day supply of food and water in an emergency.

(4) A school-age provider must practice and record emergency drills with staff and children as follows:

(a) Fire and evacuation drill once each calendar month;

(b) Earthquake, lockdown, or shelter-in-place drill once every three calendar months;

(c) Emergency drills must be conducted with a variety of staff and at different times of the day, including in the evening and during overnight hours if the school-age program offers care for children during those hours; and

(d) Drills must be recorded on a department form and include:

(i) The date and time of the drill;

(ii) The number of children and staff who participated;

(iii) The length of the drill; and

(iv) Notes about how the drill went and how it may be improved.

(5) In areas where local emergency plans are already in place, such as school districts, a school-age program may adopt or amend such procedures when developing their own plan.