Whatever the situation - fire, flood, shooting, power outage, or other emergency, these types of occurrences hit the headlines often enough that the subject of preparedness is no longer limited to security and facility professionals. If top management asks what technology, training, or manpower the company should invest in to help make certain it is prepared for an emergency, that question is an opportunity to discuss, using as much backup data as possible, the needs for each type of emergency.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, there are common elements which should be addressed in the creation of an emergency plan for your facility. Here are five steps that facility and security managers can use to help guide emergency planning.
1. Know your risks
Understanding your potential risks is crucial for effective emergency preparedness. Begin by listing possible emergencies and ranking them based on their importance and likelihood. For instance, there's no need to heavily invest in hurricane planning if your facility is inland, nor in earthquake planning if your location has no history of seismic activity. This doesn't mean you ignore these risks entirely, but you don't need to focus on detailed response plans for them.
Your risk assessment should include an all-hazards approach, focusing on hazards which are relevant to your facility. A risk matrix can be a valuable tool here, helping to prioritize areas that need investment. By categorizing each risk based on its potential impact and likelihood, you can make informed decisions. For example, in Florida, a hurricane is a critical emergency due to its high impact and likelihood. Conversely, the risk of a traffic light malfunctioning at your facility's entrance, while it might cause inconvenience, is low in both likelihood and impact. Although such minor events require attention, they are simpler to manage and plan for.
2. Inclusive Emergency Response Planning
Many emergency response plans are developed without input from the people who will use them. This is not the best approach. Nowadays, everyone in an organization might play a role as a first responder, following the "see something, say something" rule. Therefore, emergency plans should be created by a team which includes various members of the organization, not just by a single person or a small group.
Building a team with experts from different departments ensures a comprehensive plan. This team will cover all aspects of the four phases of emergency management:
Include representatives from safety, security, human resources, public relations, facilities, operations, and upper management from the beginning. If plans already exist, this team can review and make certain all areas are covered.
It's also important to get input from groups that will be directly affected by the response plans, such as employees, students, or faculty. These groups can provide valuable insights on evacuation or sheltering procedures, communication methods, and expectations from security or law enforcement during emergencies.
For example, during an active shooter event, law enforcement will head straight to the source of the shooting to stop the threat and will not assist injured individuals immediately. If building occupants understand this protocol, they will have a better perception of the response and know what to expect.
3. Make critical information quickly accessible
Often, when someone asks to see an emergency plan, they are handed a bulky three-ring binder filled with pages of information. While such a detailed plan reflects a lot of work, it's not practical in an emergency when quick access to information is crucial.
Effective emergency plans should be concise and easy to understand, focusing on the threat, the risk, and the actions to take. Lengthy documents with supporting details can be included as appendices or supplements, but the main emergency procedures need to be readily accessible.
Many facilities create comprehensive emergency plans but also provide smaller, user-friendly guides like flipcharts or pocket-sized booklets. These guides outline each potential risk or emergency and provide clear instructions on who to call, along with safety procedures for occupants.
Depending on the organization, the responsibility for writing, updating, and managing the emergency plan typically falls to the safety, security, or facilities department.
4. Update your alert and response procedures
In the past, emergency plans often involved simply calling 911, waiting for the police or fire department, or pulling the fire alarm and evacuating. However, today's threats, like active shooters and terrorism, require more sophisticated responses. For example, in an active shooter scenario, pulling the fire alarm can be dangerous if the shooter is nearby. Instead, taking shelter in a secure area is often safer.
In our current environment, it's crucial for everyone to know exactly what to do during an emergency. Some managers think that if something isn't written down, they can't be held responsible. But with the rise of diverse emergencies and social media, it's vital to have specific, clear plans that everyone understands. These plans should focus on what each person needs to do to protect themselves and others, not on the actions of first responders.
Modern notification tools like email, voice, and text alerts are common in colleges and corporations. However, these alerts only work if someone initiates the process, not just by calling 911, but also by notifying those responsible for sending out alerts. Often, by the time police arrive, social media may have already spread information—sometimes inaccurate—about the event.
Clear, easily understood alert messages are essential. For instance, at the University of Virginia, where an active shooter alert was issued with the phrase “Run, Hide, Fight” (the title of a Department of Homeland Security video), it highlighted the need for training. Everyone must understand what such alerts mean and how to respond.
Public relations or communications staff should be involved in planning to make sure that alert messages are clear and authorized. If “Run, Hide, Fight” is used as a signal, it must be backed by thorough training so everyone knows what actions to take.
After an emergency, creating an after-action report is crucial. This report evaluates the effectiveness of the notification process and overall response. Although it adds to the post-event workload, documenting and analyzing the response can provide valuable insights, often more than rehearsed drills.
5. Test the Plan
After creating an emergency plan, the next step is to test it to make sure it works. How do you do this? By conducting a series of tests, drills, and exercises designed to practice the procedures you need to know to protect yourself and others.
The security or facility manager should have a system in place to test and continually update the plans, reflecting any changes in the company, facility, or personnel. Two cost-effective methods are lecture and response sessions and tabletop exercises. Full-scale drills with first responder agencies should be conducted once you're confident in the results of the initial tests.
Lecture and Response Sessions: These sessions educate employees on the risks and the correct actions to take during emergencies. Interactive discussions between the lecturer and the audience help answer questions and build a strong foundation for emergency awareness.
Tabletop Exercises: These are a widely accepted method for practicing emergency responses. Participants go through the steps needed during an emergency, simulating actions without physically performing them. For example, during an active shooter tabletop exercise, the person responsible for sending alerts would send a test message to a select few participants to ensure the system works and to gauge response times without alerting everyone.
Tabletops help identify who is responsible for each action and highlight any weak points in the plan. They are more effective than simply reviewing the plan on paper, as they uncover real issues and clarify responsibilities.
Full-Scale Drills: These exercises go beyond tabletops and lectures and involve significant coordination and costs. It can take a year to organize full-scale drills with law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services. While costly and time-consuming, these drills provide valuable, realistic practice. However, regular lectures and tabletop exercises are a cost-effective way to keep employees educated and prepared for emergencies.
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