You're in charge of emergency response at your company. How can you make sure you're prepared for the worst?

Emergency management is based on three main foundations: 1. risk assessment - for you to understand the type of critical events you will be exposed to; 2. Planning: for you to address the best way to tackle the responses and identify the resources you will need, and 3. Training & Exercising: giving your team the right skills to manage and face all responses.

In my opinion, good risk identification is the most important step in being prepared for an emergency. A well-done HAZID or HAZOP (or other tool chosen to identify risks) is essential and is the first step in identifying the risks and necessary controls. and will support you in defining strategies for critical risks.

Disaster preparedness begins at the foundation, that foundation is a comprehensive risk assessment. This proactive approach helps mitigate potential disruptions and ensures safety: Location-specific risks: Identify the natural disasters most likely to occur in your chosen venue's region. This could include earthquakes, floods, tornados, hurricanes, extreme weather events, etc. Venue vulnerabilities: Assess the building's resilience to these disasters. Consider structural integrity, emergency exits, drainage systems, power backups, and potential damage risks. Evacuation plan: Develop a clear and well-rehearsed evacuation plan for each type of potential disaster. Include designated safe zones, assembly points, and communication protocols.

Hope is not a tactic that can be relied upon. I always like to remind the team that crisis are never found on the outlook calendar for those that live and die by what’s on the calendar or what the project manager chart indicates. Risk mitigation is either one of acceptance or taking steps to mitigate the risk(s). Planning and preparation for unplanned events or incidents is always a sound practice.

I was in charge of the area of emergency at my UN office and we prepared at the beginning of each year an Early Warning Early Action (EWEA) plan. Every program of the office had to coordinate with their counterparts making sure that they responded to the main preparedness indicators, in particular the municipal teams if they had a short preparedness plan for each program in coordination with the most vulnerable communities. The advanced MTTs had even a minimal budget and a modular camp for 50 families to support the most vulnerable communities and internally displaced families. And I had the instruction to respond in the EWEA platform the level of each indicator in each program showing to headquarters the preparedness level in the country.

Ensure preparedness by establishing clear emergency protocols, including evacuation procedures and communication plans. Conduct regular drills to familiarize employees with procedures and identify areas for improvement. Maintain updated contact lists for employees and emergency services. Provide training on basic emergency response skills and assign specific roles during crises. Collaborate with local authorities to align plans with community resources. Periodically review and update emergency plans to address evolving risks. Establish a centralized communication system for rapid dissemination of information. Regularly assess the effectiveness of emergency response measures through debriefings and simulations.

Your Emergency Response Plans should contain all those game-changing risks, separated into categories. It should identify the roles and responsibilties of each critical member or team. The plan should be written in a clear, simplistic form so anyone could pick it up and understand how to respond and implement procedures. It should contain contacts and their emergency numbers, resources and equipment, vendors and protocols for preparation, during the event and the aftermath. Once completed, its great to run tabletop exercises to see how everyone can work together better and find out where existing challenges may lie.

Plan for different scenarios: Develop specific protocols for each type of emergency, including evacuation procedures, shelter-in-place instructions, and lockdown measures. Outline roles and responsibilities for each team member and designate leaders for different situations. Define communication channels for informing and updating all personnel during an emergency.

Bevor Sie ihren Notfallplan erstellen, überlegen Sie sich, welche L?sungsoptionen für die Absicherung ihrer kritischen Gesch?ftsprozesse in Frage kommen, zum Beispiel: - Kann die T?tigkeit im Homeoffice erledigt werden? - Brauchen Sie einen oder mehrere Büros, zu denen Sie ausweichen k?nnen? - Kann die Produktion auf andere Standorte verlagert werden? - Müssen Sie Maschinen oder technische Ger?te redundant vorhalten? - K?nnen Sie schnell auf andere Dienstleister oder Lieferanten ausweichen? Danach bewerten Sie die gefundenen Optionen nach Kosten und Nutzen. Welche sind leicht umsetzbar? Welches Risiko wollen Sie akzeptieren? Wenn Sie so vorgehen, sparen Sie bei der Erstellung des Notfallplans eine Menge Zeit.

Bei der Entwicklung von Notfallpl?ne sollte jedenfalls unterschieden werden, ob es sich um eine St?rung, einen Notfall oder eine Krise handelt. Die dahinterstehenden Bew?ltigungsmechanismen unterscheiden sich meist, da für St?rungen und Notf?lle oft die normale Ablauforganisation oder eine erweiterte Ablauforganisation herangezogen werden und für Krisen meist eine besondere Aufbau- und Ablauforganisation (Krisneteam/Krisenstab) verwendet wird. Meine Empfehlung ist nicht ein Notfallplan, sondern als übergeordnetes Dokument ein Handbuch und dann szenarienbezogene Notfallpl?ne gem?? der Identifikation als Ma?nahme der Risikosteuerung im Risikomanagement-Prozess. Die einzelnen Pl?ne müssen dann jedenfalls koh?rent in der Struktur sein.

Establish emergency equipment and supplies: Ensure availability of fire extinguishers, first-aid kits, and emergency lights in accessible locations. Maintain a stockpile of essential supplies like bottled water, non-perishable food, blankets, and sanitation kits. Consider specialized equipment if necessary, like gas masks for chemical spills or disaster radios for communication outages.

Conduct appropriate risk assessments and HVAs, and take an All-Hazards approach to planning, prioritizing the results from the assessments. Be sure to identify and include key stakeholders and players in the process; internal and external partners. Educate and train staff before doing any kind of exercise or drill. Have quick reference sheets and job aids. Bring everyone together after the drills to review and document. Identify gaps and revise the plan to close those gaps. start the process all over again on an annual basis.

Technology is great...but you also need to be prepared for internet or power outages. If all of the information is cloud or computer based; it becomes inaccessible.

It's also got to be more than just a book, pdf or program that gets accessed only in an emergency. People need to know what to do, and how to respond to different situations. The best way to manage that is through table-top and mock drills. Practice will help people feel confident in their ability to respond to emergencies.

There is several software on the market that acts as support for controlling resources and equipment, resource inventory control, mobilization control and associated costs. These are useful tools that speed up the operational routine, but I emphasize that more than software, the most important thing is the adoption of a structured emergency and crisis management methodology, such as ICS. The information can be generated by software or even spreadsheets or forms (if the company does not already have access to software). The most important thing is to enable the members of this Organizational Response Structure to control the necessary information.

1. Regular Training Sessions 2. Drills and Simulations 3. Identify Gaps and Weaknesses 4. Hands-On Practice 5. Feedback 6. Recognition and Motivation 7. Continuous Improvement

your emergency training plan and drills should consider the shift systems; temporarily workers and new employees; as well as different locations/zones. so that you get idea on any gaps within particular location or specific groups within your team; and take actions accordingly.

Having the "right" team is often overlooked in these conversations. The key ingredient in an ER team should be cohesiveness. If that is there then the other critical qualities fall in line. Trust, communication and dependability.

I have begun to simplify everything. We evacuate, we shelter in place or we respond to an active assailant. When you make it easy, i.e. horns and strobes evacuate, PA announcement or mass notification message Shelter in place and head to the shelter location. Active assailant is a little more complicated as there is an assessment piece before taking action, and determining action based on assessment. The easier we can make it for the staff the better response and outcomes we will have.

Training is valuable for numerous reasons, including that it informs stakeholders of the plan, but also that it aids in identifying gaps and shortfalls in the plan and can enable enhancements to the plan over time.

Eine klare und offene Kommunikation nach intern und extern ist elementar im Krisenmanagement. Wichtig ist, dass die Information nach den Grundprin zipien der Krisenkommunikation erfolgt: ? Schnelligkeit (aktiv und frühzeitig) ? Wahrhaftigkeit (sachlich, transparent und wahr) ? Verst?ndlichkeit (kurz, einfach, unkompliziert, bildhaft) ? Konsistenz (einheitlich, koordiniert und kontinuierlich)

It is important to have a trained team to prepare official notes and establish contacts with media representatives, official bodies and other stakeholders. Clear, concise and direct communication is always infinitely better than not communicating at all. Damage to the image can be irreparable if the company refuses to share information and does not make it clear that it is acting to minimize and mitigate the impacts.

Stating intentions versus taking action differs significantly; the former is a declaration of plans, while the latter involves actual execution. In training, especially for emergency responses, it's crucial to simulate real-life scenarios as closely as possible. Using simple props, like a block of wood for a radio, can still enforce the practice of all necessary steps in communication. This method prepares individuals more effectively and helps identify and rectify any weaknesses in the process. True readiness comes from immersive practice, bridging the gap between planning and action. It also challenges your assumptions and identifies points of failure.

In any crisis or emergencies , even before infrastructure crumbles or resources dwindle, communication often takes the first hit. As an emergency management communication expert, this isn't just theory; it's a stark reality I've witnessed time and again. Disrupted phone lines, overloaded networks, and a deluge of misinformation create an information vacuum where panic and confusion thrive. That's why my philosophy centers on proactive, multi-faceted communication. From pre-crisis planning to the immediate response, building clarity and trust are paramount. By bridging the communication gap, we can empower communities, navigate challenges collaboratively, and emerge from adversity stronger and more united.

Estabele?a canais de comunica??o claros para garantir que as informa??es sejam transmitidas rapidamente durante uma emergência. Estabele?a vínculos com autoridades locais para garantir uma resposta coordenada em situa??es de emergência.

Maintain and update the plan: Review and update the emergency plan regularly, incorporating lessons learned from drills and real-life events. Communicate any changes to the plan to all personnel and ensure everyone is aware of the updates. Conduct periodic maintenance and inspection of emergency equipment and supplies.

Conduct a premortem to anticipate and mitigate potential failures in a plan. Unlike traditional evaluations focusing solely on identified issues, premortems explore what could go wrong, even beyond the known. Start by imagining a future where the project has failed. Involve the team in identifying possible reasons for this failure, however unlikely they may seem. Encourage open and creative thinking to uncover overlooked risks. Then, strategize on preventive measures or contingency plans for each identified risk. This proactive approach ensures a more comprehensive evaluation and strengthens the project against unforeseen challenges. Make creating the worst failed state a contest. When you identify your contrarians reward and protect them

Nach dem Notfall ist vor dem Notfall! Das wird leider viel zu oft vergessen. Ohne einer Evaluierung des Notfalls sowie einer Analyse der Notfallbew?ltigung kann auch keine Verbesserung in der Notfallbew?ltigung erreicht werden. Deshalb: Evaluierung, Adaptierung und dann vor allem Information und Schulung der adaptierten Bew?ltigungsma?nahmen und Pl?ne sollte von Beginn an im System vorgesehen und als verpflichtend implementiert werden.

In the aftermath of disaster, the dust may settle, but valuable lessons remain. As an emergency management professional, I see post-disaster evaluation not as an option, but an imperative. Gathering insights from impacted communities, responders, and management teams isn't just about accountability; it's about unlocking crucial knowledge to build a safer future. These evaluations become real-world stress tests, exposing strengths and weaknesses. By capturing the lived experiences and challenges, we gain invaluable data, identify gaps, understand community needs, and build trust. This knowledge becomes the cornerstone for building a more resilient future, ready to face future challenges with wisdom gleaned from the past.

Make sure the doctrine, training and exercising is pitched to the end users. Make sure people can utilise the systems and processes when they might be having their worst workday ever.

Ensure robust emergency response preparedness by conducting regular drills, updating contingency plans, and training personnel. Maintain communication channels, collaborate with relevant authorities, and analyze potential risks to continually enhance your company's readiness for worst-case scenarios.

Have a great local disaster response team on your speed dial list. Quick mitigation after severe property damage can save you money and lost time, and prevent longer shutdowns.

Table top exercises help the team walk through various scenarios, experience a simulation of the event and their decisions and an opportunity to see what others do. You cannot plan for every eventuality, but you can share ideas and expand your tool kit for when something happens.

we need to start by identifying the categories of emergencies that can affect our organisation we need to integrate business continuity risks in our scope then priorities them by likelihood and consequences.. After that we analyse our current preparedness level to face each tye and identity gaps and action plan for improvement.

EM in a firm is an important role. Managing this in tandem with the Chief Risk Officer is a recommended step. There are many types of risk: Physical, Digital, Reputational, et al. So knowing what are the most LIKELY types of risks can occur AND also creating broad “contingency” plans to manage the unknowns would be a good baseline for success. Boiling the ocean is unwise and ultimately futile; not planning for events is worse. Taking a methodical approach towards emergency management, getting buy-in from top leadership, then implementing a plan bolstered by training and documentation can support success.