How can you store and document emergency preparedness plans effectively?

1 Identify your risks

The first step to creating an effective emergency preparedness plan is to identify the potential hazards and threats that could affect your properties. Depending on your location, size, type, and occupancy, you may face different risks and regulations. For example, if you manage a high-rise apartment building in a seismic zone, you need to consider the impact of an earthquake on your structure, utilities, and evacuation routes. You also need to comply with the local building codes and fire safety standards. To identify your risks, you can conduct a risk assessment, consult with experts, and review the best practices in your industry.

2 Develop your plan

Once you have identified your risks, you need to develop a plan that outlines the roles, responsibilities, and actions of your staff, tenants, and contractors in case of an emergency. This should include forming an emergency response team to coordinate with relevant authorities and stakeholders, as well as creating an emergency contact list with names, phone numbers, and emails. Additionally, you should develop an emergency procedures manual with steps to take before, during, and after an emergency. Plus, having an emergency supplies kit with essential items and equipment for survival and recovery is also important. Finally, an emergency training program should be implemented to educate and train your staff and tenants on how to prepare for and respond to an emergency.

3 Store your plan

Once you have developed your plan, you need to store it in a way that is easy to access, update, and share. You can utilize various methods and formats to store your plan, depending on your preferences and needs. For instance, paper plans can be printed out and kept in a secure and visible location. However, paper plans can be easily damaged, lost, or outdated. Alternatively, digital plans are convenient, flexible, and easy to update and share; yet they can be vulnerable to cyberattacks, power outages, or network failures. Lastly, hybrid plans combine paper and digital methods; they are versatile, adaptable, and reliable; however they can be inconsistent or redundant. It's important that you have backups and security measures for all of these options as well as synchronization and coordination for hybrid plans.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?