Nursing homes place a major strain on the emergencymedical system when they are forced to evacuate to hospitals. When winter andsummer storms hit last year, facilities in the St. Louis area without backupgenerators turned to hospitals for shelter, according to a report in the St.Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper.
“We almost collapsed the EMS system,” said RobWylie, chief of the Cottleville Fire Protection District and president of theGreater St. Louis Area Fire Chiefs Association.
Nursing homes in the St. Louis metropolitan area are notrequired to have backup generators and, as a result, need to evacuate whenpower is lost. With the cost of retrofitting a nursing home with backupgenerators in the six-figure range, many providers are unable or unwilling tothe investment. Fire officials have suggested at least wiring facilities sothey are able to accommodate borrowed generators.
