11 Things to Consider When Creating Your Emergency Response Plan
Having an emergency response plan is critical for any organization. Fires, floods, and many other emergencies often occur without warning. That's why it's critical to have an emergency response plan in place. A well-crafted plan can minimize the impacts and get your business back on track as soon as possible. Here are 11 things to consider when creating your emergency response plan.
1. Identify the different types of emergencies that can happen in your organization
When creating your emergency response plan, you first need to identify the different types of emergencies that could occur. Knowing what could happen will help you create specific plans for how to deal with each type of emergency. Consider both the threats (human caused) and hazards (nature caused) that could potentially occur in your organization. This might include fires, floods, power outages, chemical spills, and other emergencies. As you identify each possibility, assess the likelihood and severity of those risks. By doing this, you can better focus your efforts for emergency preparedness and minimize the damage each risk could cause.
2. Make a list of what you need to do when emergencies happen
Once you have identified the different types of emergencies that could happen in your business, it's time to make a list of what you need to do if one of those emergencies occurs. This will help you ensure that you are prepared for any emergency that comes your way. Start by creating a checklist of all the things you need to do to respond to any emergency, no matter the situation. This might include providing notification to key stakeholders, communicating with first responders, turning off power, coordinating an evacuation or other actions.
As you create your list, you can also think about any specific steps for unique incidents or situations that might apply to certain scenarios; however, by focusing on core capabilities and key coordination and communication efforts, you'll be prepared for anything that comes your way.
3. Create an emergency response plan, including steps for when it happens and how to handle things afterwards
Once you've identified the different types of emergencies that could occur and assessed the risks, you need to document your emergency response plan. This will help ensure that everyone in your organization is aware of what to do in case of an emergency. It will also help make sure that all necessary procedures are in place and that everyone knows how to follow them.
When creating an emergency response plan, it's important to think about all the different types of emergencies that could happen in your business. Certain emergency situations or unique company operations may require a different plan, with specific steps for dealing with the emergency when it happens and how to handle things afterwards.
For example, if you're preparing for a fire emergency, your plan might include steps for notifying key stakeholders, communicating with first responders, turning off power, and coordinating an evacuation. You'll also need to have a plan for what to do once the emergency is over. This might include assessing the damage, beginning the cleanup process, and getting your business back up and running as soon as possible.
By creating emergency response plans for each type of emergency, you can put together an effective plan that is ready for any scenario.
4. Know what you are responsible for, and who else needs to be involved
One of the most important things to consider when creating your emergency response plan is knowing what you are responsible for, as well as identifying which partners or other departments will need to be included in an emergency situation. For example, it might be your responsibility to provide notification to key stakeholders when an emergency happens, while first responders should be informed about the types of risks any fires could cause.
Your emergency response plan should include a list of specific people who are responsible for handling different parts of the aftermath. These people should be aware of the company's incident management plan, and they need to communicate with each other during an emergency so that there is no overlap or confusion about whose responsibility it is to deal with each part of the crisis.
One way to identify who needs to know what is by dividing up the different responsibilities into categories like notifications, evacuations, and cleanup efforts. Create checklists within each category for how to handle the different responsibilities. If you've identified partners or other departments that will need to be responsible for certain steps in your emergency response plan, make sure they are aware of their role and can complete their tasks quickly and efficiently when emergencies occur. You don't want any delays in an emergency situation because a critical partner was left out of the loop.
5. Know who will be taking charge during an emergency
It's not uncommon for many people to believe that the person who is most senior will take charge during a crisis. In reality, every situation is different and the person leading the response effort depends on a number of factors including:
The type of emergency – Is it a chemical fire or a natural disaster?
The location – What part of your business is affected, and what area has the emergency occurred in?
The severity of the incident – How many people are injured, how severe is the physical damage, what is the interruption to operations, etc.
When making a decision about who should be in charge during an emergency, consider all of these factors. It's also helpful to think about what your employees will expect you to do as a leader. In some cases, it might make sense for you to lead your team. But in other cases, your employees would probably appreciate if their manager let them take the reins and focused on solving the problem instead of barking orders.
6. Work with local authorities when creating your plan
When creating your plan, it's important to work with local public safety partners. They can provide you with insight on what types of emergencies are common in your area and which ones you should be prepared for specifically. Perhaps most importantly, these are key relationships that you will want to have established well in advance of an incident. This will help ensure that you have a well-rounded emergency response plan - one that not only addresses the emergencies most likely to occur at your business, but also the emergencies that are most likely to occur in your area. As you work with local authorities, be sure to follow any guidelines and standards they provide - this will ensure that your plan meets necessary requirements and can help minimize damage when an emergency occurs.
7. Set up a dedicated crisis communication system
During a crisis, it's usually no longer sufficient to go through traditional communication channels. Your business needs to have a system in place for how and where information is shared during an incident—including email, phone lines, and social media. It's also critical to have a plan on how you will distribute important information. This could be through emails, phone lines, announcements over the public address system, or even by having designated employees tasked with updating an organization-wide channel.
8. Educate and train your employees and partners
Your emergency response plan won't do much good if no one knows how to implement it when an emergency actually occurs. This is why it's essential to educate and train your employees and partners on how to handle various emergencies before they arise. You can do this by teaching them about the different types of emergencies your business might face, what steps they need to take to be prepared, and any protocols everyone should follow during any incident (communication procedures, evacuation routes, how to shelter-in-place, etc.). Ensure that training on your emergency management plan is completed before you start conducting drills, scenarios, or other emergency training exercises.
9. Test your plan and be prepared for unexpected scenarios
After an emergency occurs, it's natural for everyone to panic and do their best to restore order as quickly as possible. Instead, take a proactive approach: test your plan before anything happens and know exactly what needs to be done. Being prepared will help you calm your employees and customers when an emergency actually does occur. It also lets you identify any areas of your plan that need improvement. Conduct regular simulations and drills to ensure everyone knows their role, what they are responsible for, and how the various parts of an emergency response plan come together to help resolve a crisis.
10. Practice your plan with someone else in charge
One of the most important aspects of having an emergency response plan is making sure that everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency. This means that you need to have a plan in place for how someone else will take over if you're unavailable. This could be another manager within your organization, or even a trusted outside individual who has been briefed on your emergency management plan. If something does happen and you're not able to take charge, it's crucial that the person who is in charge knows how to implement your plan and get your business back up and running as soon as possible.
With this in mind, ensure that you also get a chance to participant in drills or practice scenarios. If you're always the one planning the drills, you'll never get to practice your skills or test your own response capabilities.
11. Update your plan regularly and as needed
An emergency response plan is a critical document for any business, so it's not something that should be created and then left untouched. It's important to update your plan regularly, based on changes in your company or new information about potential emergencies. This could include updating your emergency contact list, adding new evacuation routes, or changing your protocols for how employees should respond in different situations.
It's also important to test your updated plan regularly, to ensure that everyone is still familiar with the procedures and that everything is still working as intended. By taking these proactive steps, you'll help ensure that your emergency response plan is well-prepared for any type of emergency that might occur.
Conclusion
When you plan ahead and act now, your company can be prepared to respond quickly and effectively to an emergency situation.
You'll want to involve public safety officials so that you can get their input about what types of emergencies might occur, where escape routes will be safest, and other procedures like sheltering-in-place or evacuation. It's important to train and educate your employees and partners on how they should react in the event of an emergency. After you've trained your team thoroughly, it is paramount that you test your plan regularly by conducting drills or simulations with others who know how to implement the plan. It's also a good idea to update your emergency response plan as needed based on changes within the company or new information about potential disasters.
Having an emergency response plan is critical for any business. Emergencies often occur without warning and it's important to have a plan in place so that you can minimize the damage and get back to business as soon as possible.
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About Continuum Preparedness
Continuum Preparedness is an emergency preparedness advisory firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Continuum was founded with the simple mission of providing quality, affordable, and easy-to-use emergency preparedness and crisis response solutions for organizations of any type or size. Since our inception in 2016, we have prided ourselves on helping clients in a variety of industries across 19 states build more resilient safety programs. Using our genuine partnership approach, our team has developed plans, procedures, training, and exercises for university campuses, medical facilities, outdoor venues, arenas, stadiums, government agencies at the local, state, and federal level, contract security firms, non-profit institutions, and a variety of others. To learn more, visit www.continuumpreparedness.com
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