Polk County Emergency Management reviews healthcare facility Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans as required by Florida law to prepare for a disaster. On an annual basis all hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, adult day care centers and residential treatment facilities must submit their plans to our office. We have up to 60 days to review your plan. You will either get a letter stating your plan has been approved or you will get your plan back with a letter indicating the areas that are not in compliance. Plans not in compliance must be resubmitted to our office within 30 days.
Plans must be submitted to our office with a completed facility criteria crosswalk. These are the minimum requirements needed to approve your plan. Please download the appropriate healthcare criteria file and fill in the page numbers showing where in your plan the required information is located. This helps ensure your plan includes all required information and helps us review your plan as quickly as possible. Plans submitted without a completed crosswalk will not be reviewed.
Tips for a successful plan review:
- Do not submit the only copy of your plan you have. You must have multiple copies on hand at your facility at all times.
- Include a completed facility criteria crosswalk with your plan.
- Your plan must contain the most current and up-to-date information you have on file. Any information over one year old needs to be updated and older out-of-date information removed.
- Plans must have a letter from your local fire marshal approving your fire plan submitted annually. This is not a copy of your annual fire inspection.
- Agreements or contracts for transportation and with alternate facilities for evacuation must be updated annually. Multi-year agreements or contracts must have proof, with dates/signatures, of annual review by both parties.
Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans and Emergency Power Plans must be submitted in an electronic format, including all necessary attachments, through the county’s upload site. To gain access to our upload site, go to EOC_FTP@polk-county.net. The Office of Emergency Management provides all facilities their login information.
If you need assistance with your plan, please call (863) 298-7000.
ALF and Nursing Home Emergency Power Plans
In effort to assist Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities meet the minimum criteria of the Emergency Rules 58A-5.036 and 59A-4.1265, Polk County Emergency Management has listed a guideline to assist you with the development of the required Emergency Power Plan. If you have questions, please call (863) 298-7000.