The initial moments surrounding an emergency event are crucial. After all, if your facility is deemed unsafe, would you rather spend your limited time trying to figure out how to react when the clock is ticking down, or would you rather immediately commence with a predetermined emergency evacuation plan?
While this may seem on the surface like a hypothetical question with an obvious answer, the reality is that many organizations fall woefully short when it comes to establishing and implementing evacuation plans, especially ones including mass notification. Wondering where to begin? Start with these 10 key steps.
1. Consider All Impacted Persons
From employees and family members to customers and emergency responders, many different people are affected when disaster strikes. A thorough evacuation plan acknowledges and establishes emergency procedures for all people, including those in need of assistance due to disabilities and other conditions.
2. Establish Roles and Responsibilities
When emergencies occur, chaos can quickly ensue — particularly if no one knows what they’re supposed to do or who's in charge. Designating a clear chain of command which tasks specific employees with the authority and responsibility to order and direct evacuations can minimize confusion. Personnel should also be designated for other key tasks, such as accounting for all employees, assisting those in need of assistance and shutting down critical operations.
Consider assigning evacuation wardens to help move employees to safety, assist disabled individuals and provide accountability measures at the safety check-in point. The recommended ratio is one warden for every 20 employees. Ready.gov recommends outlining this ahead of time to prevent confusion and duplicative efforts during an emergency
3. Make Provisions for Shelter-in-Place or Evacuation
Depending on the nature of the event as well as the specifics of your circumstances, one of the earliest decisions you may face during an emergency is whether to shelter-in-place or evacuate. (If local officials advise you to evacuate, follow their instructions.) Having clear and comprehensive plans in place for both is essential.
In the case of the former, the type of emergency mandates the response. For example, chemical incidents, active shooters and tornado warnings all require different shelter-in-place protocols. In the case of the latter, if your building is damaged or in danger, establish clearly defined, accessible, unobstructed and well-lit primary and secondary evacuation routes and make sure all stakeholders are aware of both emergency exit plans and designated assembly sites.
4. Prioritize Fire Safety Planning
While we often think of the impact of severe weather events on safety and business continuity, fire is a commonly underestimated threat. Don’t forget about fire safety strategies, such as compliance with fire codes and regulations, routine building safety inspections and a fire evacuation plan.
Getting everyone out of the building quickly and safely is always the first priority. However, it’s important to establish how this will be accomplished, as well as to address related issues, such as where everyone will meet, how you will communicate and who will provide first aid, if necessary. Take the time to think through these logistics and review them with your employees on a regular basis. This blog provides seven key focus areas to help you devise a comprehensive emergency fire evacuation plan.
5. Safeguard IT and Cybersecurity
While protecting people is always the first priority, protecting your organization’s data and IT systems is also vital. If you do have to evacuate, will you have access to critical information to facilitate business continuity?
IT departments can send automated alerts to employees, create escalation paths and use schedules to contact the right IT personnel, at the right time, so they can fix problems before they cause downtime or delays.
While managing this aspect may require specialized expertise, you’ll be grateful to have taken this step when your business isn’t immobilized for days following an evacuation.
6. Document, Document, Document
An evacuation plan is only as good as its documentation, which should detail all the essential information. OSHA provides helpful examples of interactive floorplans and the elements of good emergency evacuation, including designation of an assembly area, primary and secondary exits and exit signs. Physical copies should be clearly marked and accessible with at least one copy stored offsite, while electronic copies are also invaluable if access to your facility becomes limited.
Employers should also consider using emergency evacuation plan templates. These can help ensure all aspects of employee safety are covered. The time to create a template is well before an actual emergency.
7. Account for Employee Training
The more your employees know about the types of emergencies which may occur as well as how to respond to them, the more seamless your organizational response will be. Training should be offered at the time of hire, as well as at routine intervals due to changes related to everything from your building’s design and/or layout to staff turnover. Even if nothing changes, however, reiterating the plan ensures that your people won’t forget in an emergency.
Tabletop exercises can also be a valuable way to ensure everyone is prepared. Tabletop exercises are simulations of potential emergencies that allow you to test your response plans and your response team’s actions without putting anyone in danger. One of the benefits of tabletop exercises is that they can be customized to your organization's specific needs. This means that you can test different scenarios and response plans to see what works best for your team. Tabletop exercises provide a clear insight into response plans, as well as how teams will respond during the real thing.
8. Schedule Routine Reviews and Updates
Emergency response planning is dynamic, not static. Regularly review your plan to determine areas in need of changes. One simple way to identify problem areas while reinforcing emergency evacuation procedures with your constituents? Drills. Learn from which aspects go smoothly and which don’t and revise your plan according to these strengths and weaknesses.
9. Incorporate Post-Disaster Planning
Your evacuation plan isn’t done just because the event itself has ended. The best evacuation plans also have mechanisms in place for supporting employee health, wellbeing and recovery after a disaster. Reliable and accurate communication with your employees increases the level of trust your employees have in your organization. Employees will feel informed and aware, which will raise their confidence level in your organization’s ability to keep them safe.
10. Leverage Mass Notification Technology
No emergency evacuation plan is complete without covering the critical component of communication. An emergency notification system (ENS) can keep employees safe and aware of what’s happening in real time. Having a system to alert employees and provide direction on their mobile devices and computers encourages prompt, safe reactions. An ENS can also provide a method for employee safety check-in, which improves your ability to account for employees during an emergency. The ability to send alerts via phone, email, SMS, desktop alerts, mobile app push notifications, voice and more is essential.
Learn how one organization is using mass notification technology to give employees clear instructions on evacuations and other information on staying safe during any emergency.
