Ready, Set, Know!

Jun 1, 2007 12:00 PM, STEPHANIE SILK

           

THE DEPARTMENT of Homeland Security and the Advertising Council's Ready Business campaign helps businesses prepare in the event of an emergency, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. We asked Erin Streeter, acting director of the Ready public awareness campaign, to answer a few questions businesses may be asking.

Why should businesses have emergency preparedness plans? America's businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy. Small businesses account for 99 percent of all businesses with employees. If businesses are ready to recover from a disaster, our economy will survive. The faster we recover, the quicker we can go back to normal life.

What prompted this campaign? In 2003, following 9/11, we launched the Ready campaign to try and empower Americans. As it moved forward, businesses were clearly a key audience that needed to be reached. So we launched Ready Business to provide resources, tools and templates to prepare for another disaster. The goal of Ready Business is to raise awareness for emergency planning and motivate businesses to take action.

What steps do you take in helping a business? We tell owners and managers to look at three things: plan to stay in business, talk to employees and protect investments. Our Web site, ready.gov/business, gives free tools and templates like sample emergency plans, inventory forms and insurance forms.

Does this cost any money for businesses?

Our Web site has a cost sheet. Some things do cost money, and some don't. Meeting with an insurance agent, making changes in the way your company is structured or securing equipment might cost something, but mostly things don't have any cost.

What are the potential pitfalls of not getting help? When a disaster occurs in a community, it's when the businesses start to re-open that life seems to go back to normal. We have found that how businesses react plays a key role in the resiliency of a community. Businesses need to think about their employees, too. They are valuable assets, so you have to prepare a plan that answers how quickly they will be able to work again. Plus, promoting preparedness and educating the work force stimulates employees to have plans at home too. You need to ask yourself some questions: Are you assessing business functions? Are you identifying things critical to survival? Will you be able to pay your employees? Do they know the plan? Are you protecting your investments? Have you planned for utility disruption? These things all require people to plan ahead.

Do you find that businesses don't have plans? We see more and more taking steps to prepare now. The Advertising Council did a survey in 2006 of businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees. They found that 88 percent of them thought it was important to have plans. But only 47 percent of those people actually had one. We have a ways to go, but I think that since we have seen disasters double in last decade, with 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, businesses are seeing more of a need to make sure they are prepared. One thing that's very important is that even if you have a plan — you still need to practice it. Drill it down and practice and practice.

If a business wants to make a plan, where can they start? They can go to our Web site. It walks you through the three steps. Under each step, there are walkthroughs about being informed, knowing risks, how to involve co-workers, practicing plans and promoting awareness. And with each of those are templates and forms to help you begin to start to think about how to prepare. Businesses can also get involved by participating in our National Preparedness Month this September. It helps businesses promote activity in their local community.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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