Question 1

What does California Title 22 require for RCFE evacuation?

Accepted Answer

Title 22 requires a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly to be able to evacuate every resident — including non-ambulatory residents — and to document staff training and drills. When elevators are unavailable, that means a safe way to move residents down stairwells. Outpost's Evac & Power Readiness System supplies the equipment, training, and inspector-ready documentation to meet it.

Question 2

Is California SB 435 law?

Accepted Answer

No. SB 435 would have required residential care facilities for the elderly licensed for 16 or more residents to maintain at least 72 hours of alternative power during an outage. It passed the Senate in June 2025 but was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 13, 2026, and did not pass in the 2025–26 session. Power planning is still required: HSC §1569.695 requires every RCFE's emergency and disaster plan to keep the facility self-reliant for at least 72 hours after an emergency, including a short- or long-term power failure. The E&PRS includes NUE SunCase battery power sized to the facility's critical loads.

Question 3

Does an RCFE need evacuation chairs?

Accepted Answer

If a facility has stairs and residents who cannot self-evacuate, it needs a way to move them down the stairwell when elevators are out. HALO evacuation chairs let a single caregiver bring a non-ambulatory resident down the stairs in a controlled descent in under a minute — a documented, repeatable method staff can train on and drill.

Question 4

What is the 72-hour self-reliance requirement (HSC §1569.695)?

Accepted Answer

California Health & Safety Code §1569.695 requires every RCFE's emergency and disaster plan to provide for the facility to be self-reliant for at least 72 hours immediately following an emergency or disaster, including a short- or long-term power failure. The same section requires staff training on the plan at hire and annually, and a drill at least quarterly for each shift. Outpost's Essentials+ Go-Bags and 72-hour supply kits cover the food, water, and supply side of that plan and are refreshed on the Compliance Guard cycle.

Question 5

How do you evacuate a non-ambulatory resident from an upper floor?

Accepted Answer

A HALO evacuation chair rolls the resident to the stairwell; its track glides them down each step in a controlled descent that one caregiver can perform — no lifting, no backboard, no four-person carry. For bed-to-chair and floor transfers, ProMove slings move residents safely without staff injury.

Question 6

What is the Evac & Power Readiness System (E&PRS)?

Accepted Answer

The E&PRS is Outpost Preparedness' turnkey readiness system for California RCFEs, delivered under one vendor: HALO evacuation chairs, ProMove transfer slings, NUE backup power, 72-hour supplies, on-site staff training, drills, and inspector-ready documentation (LIC 610E/999). It is built around Title 22 and HSC §1569.695 (as amended by AB 3098).

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Start with the chairs. Add the rest as you need it.

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SB 435 stalled. Outages didn't.