It’s Hurricane Season - which is not nearly as much fun as football, baseball and soccer seasons.
Here in Florida, it kicks off by driving to a local hardware store to spend lots of money on really boring purchases like batteries, bottled water, hardboard, nails and flashlights.
You think about finally investing in a generator, but they cost a fortune and you probably will not even need it, right?
Emergency Response planning is sort of the same as that generator.
Its takes time and money to build a plan that will be effective.
We made the point in our last blog that in this area of crisis planning, even more than any other, there is lots to do and invest long before a threat appears.
But this is not just about whether you can cool the air and watch television in your house.
It’s about your highest priority as a leader - the safety and security of your team members.
This is a good moment to review your emergency response plan and make sure you are ready should the worst happen.
One great resource for what should be in a plan is here.
To help, here’s ten questions which you should be able to answer ‘yes’ if your plan is in great shape:
- Have you undertaken a risk assessment to identify ALL potential threats? Y/N
- Have you created infrastructure such as an emergency response center and sources of supplies that will be needed in a crisis? Y/N
- Do you identify steps to prepare employees and strengthen your defenses in the days/weeks ahead of an impending threat such as extreme weather? Y/N
- Does EVERY facility in your network have an evacuation plan? Y/N
- Is there clearly identified team leaders, and alternates, with access to up-to-date rosters to check on the well-being of all employees (and visitors)? Y/N
- Do staff go through regular training and drills? Y/N
- Do visitors, contractors, temporary workers etc. get information on the response plan when they are on site? Y/N
- Do you have information systems in place to efficiently monitor and update all employees (on-site and remote) on the progress of a threats such as extreme weather? Y/N
- Is there an up to date list of contact details of all the local emergency services, doctors, hospitals etc. for EVERY facility? Y/N
- Are you using In Case of Crisis for ease of access to plan materials and the ability to check in with employees during a crisis? Y/N
