Emergency Preparedness IS for Everyone
Emergency Preparedness, Defined
According to Wikipedia, Emergency Preparedness is actually Disaster Preparedness – the creation of plans through which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Disaster management does not avert or eliminate the threats, instead it focuses on creating plans to decrease the impact of disasters. Failure to create a plan could lead to damage to assets, lost revenue, and even human mortality. Currently, an estimated 60% of businesses in the United States do not have emergency management plans.
Emergency preparedness is commonly thought of as something our public agencies do, chores for fire, police, city and state governing agencies to worry about. We’re told that we need to create an Emergency Preparedness Plan for our homes, but most of us don’t. Why is this?
Complacency Kills
If you’re anything like the majority, most feel these emergency situations will never impact their lives. Most of us will never know the devastation that a fire could cause to our lives, or to our kids’ lives,but think about it; what would happen if your company owner ever got sick? What would happen if there was a fire that gutted your equipment? What happens if the guy you just laid-off comes back to see you with a 12 gauge shotgun? Are these situations hard to imagine, and do they appear over the top? They shouldn’t. Each year, nearly 2 million American workers report having been victims of workplace violence. These are real life occurrences that organizations need to plan for.
Be Prepared for Everything
Natural disasters are a constant, quiet threat. What will happen when the predicted earthquake for the Pacific NW really occurs? Are you ready at home, and at your workplace? There is more value to this exercise than just having a plan for your own business; there will be an incredible opportunity within the community for businesses that are ready to act, prepared (there’s that word again), ready to spring into action quickly!
At 360 Safety Solutions, our goal is to help your organization become a prepared enterprise by creating a strategically-aligned, value-adding Emergency Preparedness Plan to assist in the occurrence of disaster. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be discussing the different aspects of emergency planning, from forming the emergency preparedness plan, formalizing a response plan, authoring a continuity of operations plan, health and safety plans – even creating a detailed security plan.
360 Safety Solutions specializes in Safety Program Management for enterprises of all types in many different industries. We can help you develop an Emergency Preparedness Plan for your company quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively. Contact us today to learn more!