Planning for a power failure
The thought of a power failure is frightening for people who rely on electrical equipment to breathe,
but with some preparation, the impact of power outages can be minimized. After consultation with
your respiratory care team and the manufacturer of your equipment if necessary, a plan of action
should be written down and all carers fully trained.
We have provided an Action Plan template at the end of this document which you can personalise to
your personal circumstances.
The main things you can do to prepare for a power failure are:
ensure charged back-up batteries are always available for ventilators
have a plan in place for power outages that may last longer than your battery life
ensure that carers will be alerted in the event of a power failure
ensure you have a ‘bag valve mask’ available at all times
register your home as ‘dependent on life support’ with your electricity supply company
always have a torch, phone and important phone numbers handy
make a plan for other essential electrical equipment
have an evacuation plan
practice the plan of action with each carer
Further information
Back up batteries
Ventilators that have an internal battery will automatically switch to battery power when the mains
power goes off. The internal battery will provide approximately two hours of operation. It is charged
whenever the ventilator is plugged into mains power.
VPAP and BiPAP machines often do not have an internal battery. They can be connected to a 12 volt
external battery via a DC to AC inverter but cannot be connected to mains power and the external
battery at the same time. Therefore, the battery must be charged separately and connected to the
ventilator when the power fails.
An external battery, when connected to the ventilator will provide between 6 and 24 hours of
operation, depending upon the type of ventilator, its settings and the size of the battery.
Batteries should be kept well maintained and fully charged. Carers should know how long each
battery will last, how to check the amount of power left and how to change over to spare batteries.
It is a good idea to use the external battery periodically then re-charge it to ensure that it is ready to
use if/when there is a power failure.
Your humidifier should not be used when operating the ventilator from the external battery. It uses
a lot of power and will significantly reduce the operating time of the battery.
If you are highly dependent on your ventilator it is recommend that you have a second ventilator
available (with its own battery) in case any part of the machine should fail. In Victoria a second unit
is supplied to all people who use their ventilator for more than 16 hours per day. If you have a
second ventilator it is recommended that you alternate machines regularly so that both are properly
maintained. Consider using one as your day unit and the other as your night unit.
If it is not possible to have a second ventilator available, having a bag valve mask readily available
may be an adequate emergency plan (see more on this below).
Alerting carers
Ensure that your ventilator will sound a loud external alarm if there a problem with power supply or
the ventilator is not working correctly. Ensuring that carers can hear this alarm is important,
especially if the power failure occurs at night. This may require the purchase of an additional loud
alarm that can be attached to some types of ventilator. Alternatively, some people use a baby
monitor so that alarms (or a call for help) can be heard in other parts of the house: an internal
battery should be present in both the receiver and base unit.
It is important to be aware that not all VPAP and BiPAP machines have built in power failure or
breakdown alarms so an alternative way to alert carers will need to be in place. A wireless doorbell
push or personal alarm system are often used to alert carers that help is needed, but this is only
possible if the person has enough arm strength to reach the button and press it. A micro-switch can
be added to the wireless door bell button so that it can be activated with minimal pressure.
Raising the alarm: Loud external alarm (left) and micro-switch attached to a wireless doorbell push (right)
Preparing for lengthy power failures
Most power failures last only a few hours at most, and back up batteries will be sufficient to cope
with this. But occasionally they can last longer so you need to have a plan in place. Which of the
following options you include in your plan will be a personal choice based on what you are
comfortable with, where you live and your level of dependency on ventilation.
1. Plug in to the car lighter socket using an inverter. The engine must be running in a wellventilated place (i.e. not in a garage) and you should plan to either sit in the car or have a
long extension cord available to run the power to the house. Your ventilator supplier should
be able to help you choose a suitable inverter for your device.
2. Use a portable generator which should be regularly checked to make sure it is in good
working order. This might be a good option to consider if there is other essential equipment
in the house that needs power or you live in a remote location.
3. Head to the nearest hospital which will have generators (call an ambulance if necessary).
Alternatively, you may have family or friends nearby who have not lost power that you could
go to. Have an evacuation plan in place including a list of what you need to take with you.
Option number 3 is probably a sufficient back-up plan for most people provided well maintained
back up batteries are available.
Bag valve mask
A ‘bag valve mask’ (otherwise known as an “Ambu bag” or manual
resuscitator) is a hand held device used to provide ventilation in an
emergency. Everybody on ventilation should have a manual
resuscitator bag valve mask available and all carers properly trained
to use it. Dial 000 for an ambulance as soon as possible.
A bag valve mask
This bag valve mask should also be carried at all times in the
wheelchair when away from home.
Register with your power company
Register with your power company as ‘dependent on life support’. This means that they will do
everything they can to provide a reliable electricity supply to your house. However, this does not
guarantee continuous 24 hour supply, as unplanned power outages occur from time to time for
reasons outside their control, such as extreme weather events or traffic accidents. Some companies
state that during such power failures, houses registered as dependent on life support will be given
priority when restoring supply. The power company will also not purposely disconnect the power
from your home (for maintenance or upgrade works for example) without four days’ notice. For this
reason, you should make sure they have your up-to-date telephone numbers and contact details.
Registering with your electricity retailer will also make sure you are receiving government rebates
that are available to subsidise the electricity used by eligible medical equipment.
Torch and phone
It may sound like common sense, but having a torch handy in case the power goes out is worth
including in your emergency plan. A phone – either a mobile or landline – will also enable you to
phone the power company to find out when the power is likely to be restored and make any
necessary emergency calls. Note: some cordless landline phones do not work if the base station has
no mains power.
You should also have important phone numbers to hand such as your doctor, local hospital,
family/next of kin, a neighbour and your electricity supplier’s emergency contact number.
Determining the cause of the power failure
Determining the cause of the power failure will help you to decide on further actions to take. Many
power supply companies produce brochures on how to do this, for example, this one produced by
United Energy. Brochures such as this are often supplied when you register with your power
company as dependent on life support.
Once back up power is established and the person using the ventilator is comfortable, a carer can
determine if the power is out in the whole house, or if there is a problem with just one power point
or one power circuit in the house. A first step is to check whether appliances and lights in other parts
of the house are working. If power is available in another part of the house, a fuse may have blown
or a circuit breaker been tripped, and a carer may be able to reset this or call an electrician for
assistance. If power is out in the whole house, call a neighbor to find out if they have also lost power.
A call to your electricity supplier will also give you further information on the extent of the power
outage and when it is likely to be restored.
Other equipment
Inevitably people who use a ventilator will also have other electrical equipment that they rely on.
This could include:
cough assist machine
suction machine
humidifier
pulse-ox
nebuliser
electric wheelchair
hoist
electric bed
air-conditioning
A plan should be put in place for each of these pieces of equipment as necessary. Some of these will
have their own back-up batteries or an alternative can be found. For example, manual suction
equipment can replace a suction machine and carers can learn assisted coughing techniques to
replace a cough assist machine.
You may also need to consider what you would do in hot or cold weather without power to run air
conditioning or heating. People with reduced mobility are less able to cope with heat and cold so
you may need to evacuate in this situation for your comfort and health.
Summary
While the likelihood of a lengthy power failure may be assessed as small, the consequences of not
being prepared are significant. Do not assume that every carer is familiar with your circumstances.
Your preparation will give you the confidence and authority to direct action and choose options that
can be acted on by your carers.
Links
DMD Pathfinders in the UK has produced a leaflet called “Life and Breath” which contains
examples of emergency plans. Download Life and Breath here
The Department of Human Services (DHS) website has general information on preparing for
emergencies
For further information on any of the areas discussed above, please contact MDA:
Phone: (03) 9320 9555
Email: info@mda.org.au
Many thanks to Anne Duncan, Victorian Respiratory Support Service Outreach Coordinator at
Austin Health (Heidelburg, VIC) for her help in preparing this document.
Updated 09 September 2014
EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
for
Name: _____________________
Address: ___________________
DATE PREPARED: ____/____/____
IMMEDIATE ACTION ON LOSS OF ELECTRICITY
For example :
-
check how much battery power is left and locate any spare batteries
move into a seated position if lying down
locate torch and phone
FOLLOW ON ACTIONS REQUIRED
For example:
-
determine cause of power failure – blown fuse? Whole neighbourhood?
call electricity provider
in extreme weather conditions check forecast
turn off non-essential electrical equipment to prevent power surge when power resumes
take required actions for other electrical equipment (see table below).
ACTIONS IN THE EVENT OF LENGTHY POWER FAILURE
For example:
-
power up generator
head to local hospital or relative’s house when battery power down to x hours.
EVACUATION PLAN
For example:
-
what to take with you (Fly away bag – see below in preparatory actions)
medication required and location
battery chargers
mode of transport
EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS
Ambulance: 000
Neighbor:
Electricity supplier:
Relatives:
Hospital/Doctor:
Next of kin:
SES:
Taxi:
CHECKLIST OF PREPARATORY ACTIONS and MAINTENANCE
For example:
back-up batteries charged
batteries checked monthly/weekly?
loud external alarm fitted to the ventilator
‘bag valve mask’ carried at all times, carers trained
register as ‘dependent on life support’ with your electricity provider
torch and phone handy
practice the plan of action with each carer
Fly Away Bag maintained. This could be a small bag that stays on the
back of the wheelchair that contains the Action Plan, medications,
mobile telephone and torch, care plan.
LIST OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
Equipment
Backup plan
ventilator
internal battery – 2 hours
external battery – 10 hours
cough assist machine
carers to know assisted coughing techniques
suction machine
Manual suction equipment located___
humidifier
Do not use during power failure
pulse-ox
nebuliser
electric wheelchair
Battery lasts x hours, manual wheelchair in
garage
hoist
electric bed
Aircon/heating
SIGNATURE ____ _____________
DATE_______________