California Hospitals Operate on Generators

A backup plan that includes equipment to keep facilities running during inclement weather is crucial, as evidenced by 248 California hospitals that recently ran on generators when power companies temporarily shut off electricity to prevent fires during windy weather, Healthcare Facilities Today reports.

California power companies have planned these precautionary outages in recent years to prevent high winds from knocking down power lines and causing wildfires. Representatives at most of the affected hospitals said their operations were not disrupted by the outages, which lasted almost a week earlier this month, Modern Healthcare reports. However, one hospital in Santa Rosa, California, as well as two medical buildings in the northern part of the state temporarily lost power for a day.

Under state and federal laws, hospitals are required to have backup diesel generators, which turn on seconds after an outage. California power companies give hospitals 48-hour notice before they turn off the power.

Backup generators are among the items that require routine preventative maintenance. Be sure to conduct a weekly system check of all your backup generators to ensure they are operational in an emergency.