Warning: Crisis Ahead

Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Ashley Roe

           

Provide emergency training to all employees

Basic disaster training for all company employees can ensure that everyone knows what to do if disaster strikes. “Your people have to be trained. They have to know about emergency plans,” McCarthy says. “If they already have the plan ingrained into [their heads] and they can do it in their sleep, they are going to act in an orderly manner [when the time comes].”

Watson recommends companies take a multipronged approach to educating employees. This might include posting emergency training literature on company Web sites or sending out company-wide e-mails with emergency information. Larger organizations may also follow in the footsteps of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises Inc., which created CoxAlert.com, a comprehensive online emergency resource for its employees. (See “Case Study: Cox Enterprises Inc.” sidebar.) “Another idea is to schedule brown bag lunches and give an emergency training seminar at lunchtime,” he says. “Also, find a way to link this training to your employees' individual needs and responsibilities. If there is a personal interest there, employees are more apt to absorb and understand the importance of the training.”

Partner with local government entities and neighboring organizations

“You want to make sure that things are interoperoperable,” Watson says. “If you have a big enough disaster happen, the public authorities are going to be involved. You are going to need knowledge of the U.S. Incident Command System (ICS) and of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and this is achieved by developing relationships with your local leaders.”

Watson suggests one way to begin the familiarity process. “Invite leaders out to lunch. Or get involved in some way on a local level,” he says. “There are lots of organizations that do not reach out to local authorities, and these relationships can really help in the long run.”

Adds McCarthy: “Don't forget about your neighbor. It's okay to partner with neighboring companies and organizations in times of disaster.” For example, groups of companies located in multi-tenant buildings might coordinate their emergency evacuation and response procedures to ensure a smooth execution when disaster strikes.

Additional resources for success

There is an abundance of disaster management and business continuity training guides, tip sheets, publications and training programs, including the following:

NFPA 1600 — Most recently revised in 2007 (the next revision is planned for 2009), the National Fire Protection Association's Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs is a comprehensive guide to developing BC/DR and emergency management programs for public, non-profit and private organizations. The document discusses the criteria for assessing current programs and developing, implementing and maintaining aspects for prevention, mitigation, preparation, response and recovery from emergencies. Visit nfpa.org.

Ready Business — An online resource created by DHS and the Ad Council in 2004 that provides information to help owners and managers of small- to medium-sized businesses prepare their employees, operations and assets in the event of an emergency. The Web site provides businesses with practical steps and easy-to-use templates to create an evacuation plan, implement fire safety procedures and protect business investments by securing facilities and equipment and by reviewing insurance coverage.

Marquis says the resource is catered specifically to small- and medium-sized businesses because according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses represent more than 99 percent of all employers, provide 75 percent of the net new jobs added to the economy and represent 97 percent of all U.S. exporters. “Our ideology is that if these businesses are prepared to survive and recover, the nation and the economy are more secure,” she says. Visit ready.gov/business.

“On The Brink: Re-engineering the Nation's Disaster Response Processes” — In July, the Business Civic Leadership Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce published a new report that offers expert analysis, lessons learned and recommendations for disaster management processes among public and private entities. The collection of 27 articles includes essays penned by emergency-response professionals representing corporations, local chambers of commerce, federal and local government, academia and humanitarian-aid organizations. Visit uschamber.com/bclc.

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