The purpose of emergency planning is to provide the basis for systematic responses to emergencies that threaten personnel safety, environmental harm, or a business’s ability to continue operations. The emergency planning process has evolved significantly and taken on more importance in the last decade as a result of emergencies and disasters having a greater impact on government and industry. At Safety Compliance Services, we advocate a comprehensive “all hazards” approach to emergency preparedness. A comprehensive emergency response plan that takes into account potential natural, technological, and man-made threats and involves key personnel in the planning process can assist an organization to systematically manage emergencies in an effective and efficient manner. The planning process is a key element that forces organizations to explore viable options that can be employed in the event of an emergency or disaster. These contingencies can ultimately help to save lives, reduce property loss, as well as lessen an organization’s potential liability
Being prepared for critical incidents involves four important components: planning, reviewing, training, and testing. These are the cornerstones of any emergency response plan and Safety Compliance Services can assist you in all of these critical areas
An emergency management plan is a unique, detailed guide for times of great stress and crisis. It does not replace the logic of decision-making or common sense. A plan cannot account for every action required nor provide solutions to all problems. However, if a plan is prepared well and maintained periodically, it should greatly enhance the organization’s ability to respond to most emergencies and reduce the potential loss. A good emergency management plan includes the following components;
- Policy statement
- Threat assessment
- Vulnerability analysis
- Internal and external resource availability
- Responsibilities and authorities
- Communications plan
- Response actions
- Outside agency coordination
- Operations continuation
- Recovery
- Debriefing and critique
- Plan review and updating
- Training
- Plan exercising
The number and severity of crisis situations that have affected industry over the past decade have reinforced the need for organizations to prepare a well thought out comprehensive emergency response plan. Once implemented, it should be noted that an emergency response plan is a dynamic process that must be kept up to date and consistent with an organization’s operations and identified vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is important to continually review your internal and external environments in order to anticipate and plan for problems that could have an adverse impact on your organization or operation.
Here at Safety Compliance Services, we have spent years working with industries across the country in reviewing, developing, updating, exercising, and providing training on, their Emergency Management Plans. This includes:
- Comprehensive Emergency Response Plans
- Hurricane Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Plans
- Avian Flu Pandemic Business Continuation Plans
- Spill Response Plans
- Employee Emergency Action Plans
If you need assistance in this critical area, contact us and we will be glad to discuss our services and your needs and how we can team with you in improving your readiness for an emergency that impacts your organization.
