Emergency Planning for Your Business
The speed with which your company can respond after a serious disaster or event will directly relate to your ability to survive as a business. If nothing else, Hurricane Sandy should have been a wakeup call to companies that are not in traditionally disaster-prone areas that natural disasters can occur anywhere, and that they can cause serious amounts of damage. Sandy alone caused an estimated $68 billion USD in damage to both residential and commercial properties, with insurance covering very little of the total sum.
In the wake of Sandy, companies had to shutter their doors for good, and not just due to the initial damage of the event. Issues like biological hazards that couldn’t properly be addressed, a lack of power, and other forms of mitigation after the event can all be potential sources of lost business through an inability to even operate. Disaster planning and emergency preparation may not prevent these things from taking place, but they can help you to either stop them from doing the full amount of damage, or make a much faster recovery once they do.
The First Response Matters
Should employees evacuate for shelter, or should they stay in doors for safety? Does your business deal with the public, and will they possibly be on the premises for a disaster? Do you have long term communication plans for emergency services and other important agencies? These are all questions that play into the first response that your business will have once a disaster occurs, and it’s that first response that can shape the outcome for your company as well.
First response means:
Leadership once a disaster occurs, with designated managers who know the proper protocols and practices.
Delegation of important disaster-related tasks, such as the securing of a site or communications with the right channels.
Knowledge and execution of the plan as the disaster occurs. Preparedness is important, but in the very moment of the disaster, so is keeping a calm head to carry out a plan.
The first response could be the difference between losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and avoiding serious financial loss. It could mean the loss of life, or the survival of the people inside of a commercial site. It is not something to take lightly, and it is exactly why a plan is necessary; the more well created the plan is, and the more awareness your employees have of that plan, the more accurate the first response will be.
The first response also informs the ongoing and final response to the disaster; proper planning and delegation can mean reduced need for repair and clean up, as well as a reduced chance of a “domino effect” in a disaster, such as the spilling of hazardous chemicals or the destruction of an electrical system. These are all part of the right disaster plan, and they are more than enough reason to have one in place for your own company. Anything less is a gamble that you should never take. Rocky Mountain Restoration has a free PREP (Priority Response Emergency Plan) for your commercial property. Call them today!
