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IMM-1122 (12/17)
Section 4:
Management Plan for Emergency Situations
Use the following guidance for safeguarding vaccines in the event of planned or unplanned power interruptions (e.g., power outages,
weather-related circumstances, building maintenance/repairs, etc.).
CHECKLIST: BEFORE AN EMERGENCY
Proper preparation for emergency situations is essential for protecting the viability of vaccines. Use the following checklist to help
ensure practices are ready for planned or unexpected situations that might impact vaccines.
Step Description
Maintain current emergency contact information for key practice staff.
Maintain current contact information for alternate vaccine storage location(s), including the facility name,
address, and telephone number.
Be familiar with backup power sources for commercial- and pharmacy-grade units.
Stock vaccine packing and transport supplies, including a hard-sided cooler, frozen gel packs, and bubble wrap.
Keep copies of the VFC “Refrigerated Vaccine Transport Log” and “Frozen Vaccine Transport Log” and floor
plans (when available) for easy access during a vaccine-related emergency.
Review (at least annually) the steps key practice staff must take to protect vaccines during short- or long-term
outages.
DURING AN EMERGENCY
Follow these instructions during vaccine-related emergencies in compliance with VFC Program requirements and best practices.
Step Description
Place a “DO NOT OPEN” sign on vaccine storage unit(s) and leave door(s) shut to conserve cold air mass.
Notify the emergency contacts identified on the vaccine management plan’s “Worksheet for Emergency
Vaccine Management”.
Note the time the outage started and storage unit temperatures (CURRENT, MIN and MAX).
Assess the situation to determine the cause of the power failure and estimate the time it will take to restore
power.
If the outage is expected to be longer than 2 hours*:
A. Contact the alternate storage facility to verify they can accept the vaccines.
B. If vaccines will be relocated, refer to “Transporting Vaccines” for instructions.
C. If transport or relocation is not feasible, e.g., alternate location not available or travel conditions are
unsafe, keep vaccine storage units closed and notify the SFDPH IZ Program.
Monitor vaccine storage unit temperatures until power is restored.
Once power has been restored, follow the steps listed in “After an Emergency”.
* Note: Temperatures in commercial-, pharmacy-, and biologic-grade units tend to increase faster during power failures. As a result,
practices using these storage units need to monitor temperatures more frequently and may need to transport vaccines to an alternate
location sooner than two hours.
Adapted by SFDPH,