Monday, March 9, 2015
The All-Hazard Approach to Emergency Planning
PrepareNowStore.com,
3/9/2015
Emergency plans, no
matter how well thought out, are only as good as the people performing each
of the roles. Communication, training, and drilling are the keys to a successful
emergency response.
While every situation
is different, the following elements should be part of every emergency response
plan.
The
Risks Have Changed
Emergency response
plans today have to cover more risks than ever before. While in the past we could
focus on common risks like fires, chemical spills, and tornadoes. Today we face acts
of terrorism and workplace violence. While the old plans met the letter of the
law, and most still do, they are just not adequate for today’s risks. Today
emergency preparedness involves much more than having clear exit routes and
fire drills. The risk of business interruptions from acts of terrorism and
workplace violence just can’t be ignored. Today’s emergency response planning
has to be all-hazard.
The best way to
uncover risks is to involve a wide array of employees from different departments
and locations. Involve your local emergency management agency, fire department,
and hazmat team. They are eager to help, use them.
Roles
and Responsibilities have to be Clearly Defined
Employees need to
know exactly what actions they are expected to take in an emergency. Should
they just leave the building, or should they turn off the building's water on the
way out if safely possible. Their expected actions need to well
documented and drilled. Even if their only action is to find the nearest exit
and get out, it should be documented in the plan, well communicated, and
reviewed during training and regular drills.
Plans should list the
responsibilities of supervisors, security personnel, front office staff, and maintenance staff. The
safety of visitors and outside contractors must be addressed. Evacuation of
people with mobility challenges needs to be well covered and drilled.
Establish
who is in Charge
During an emergency,
each person should report to one, and only one, designated person. This keeps
everyone focused on their specific role and prevents costly delays in response.
While each employee
doesn’t have to fully understand every detail of the emergency plan, everyone needs
to understand what their responsibility is and who they report to. Who can talk
to the media and outside responders, such as firefighters and other emergency services
needs to be clearly understood. If the media is present they will be looking
for comment from everyone which if not properly coordinated leads to
misinformation which can be dangerous in an emergency situation.
Mark
Evacuation Routes
Clear evacuation
routes have been a cornerstone of emergency response planning from the very
beginning. A good evacuation plan is
more than just having the right number of exit signs and posting copies of the floor plan
with highlighted evacuation. Evacuation routes need to make
sense. If an evacuation routes calls for using a normally unused exit, don’t be
surprised when in an emergency employees can’t find the exit or are unsure of where
it goes.
Establish
Assembly Points
Getting everyone out
of a building quickly is key to minimizing risk, but make sure employees don’t block
entrances needed by responders. Set the assembly points away from the building.
Good assembly points make it much easier to count employees and make sure no
one is left in the building.
As always the key to
emergency preparedness is planning, communication, and drilling.
Shop
PrepareNowStore.com for emergency preparedness supplies.
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