Notes

How to Prepare for an Emergency
Emergency response is any systematic reaction to an unexpected or dangerous occurrence. This can include natural disasters, hazardous material problems and transportation incidents.

It can also include threats such as active shooters, terrorism and lone offenders. The goal of any emergency response is to protect your facility and its employees, minimize damage and get back to business.
Preparation

Whether it's posting emergency telephone numbers, practicing fire drills or stocking supplies to last for three days, preparation activities are those that occur before an emergency happens. They're meant to make it easier and faster to deal with an actual emergency. For example, preparing to shelter animals during an earthquake is a preparedness activity.

Response is the coordination and management of resources utilizing an Incident Command System in an all-hazards approach. The system provides a manageable span of control for multiple disciplines to coordinate their assets without duplication or conflict.

It's important that public emergency services, such as fire and police departments, have knowledge about your facility and its hazards and can stabilize incidents involving these risks. Preparedness plans provide this information, including the locations and functions of controls for building utility and life safety systems. Document this information and store it for quick reference. This includes providing a copy of your plan to public emergency services and others with responsibility for building management or security. Also document the availability of all necessary equipment and materials required for safe operations during an emergency.
Alerting Employees

During an emergency response, communication is crucial. Having an effective communication plan in place – one that includes clear evacuation routes and assembly points as well as designated responsibilities and roles for employees – is essential. Employees should also be familiar with this plan through regular training and drills.

In addition, a reliable and effective way to alert employees during emergencies is to use mass notification systems that broadcast emergency messages to all employees simultaneously across multiple channels, including SMS, email, desktop alerts, Microsoft Teams, mobile apps, and more. These systems are especially useful for companies that have multiple facilities or remote workers and can help ensure all employees are able to quickly receive vital information about an emergency.

A good system also offers the option to customize messages to specific recipients, allowing businesses to segment their database by role or location to send only the most important information. And, because the system automatically syncs with the company’s HRIS or Active Directory, it can safeguard message deliverability by ensuring that only correct employee contact information is being used.
Evacuation

Evacuation is a process of moving people away from dangerous areas. Evacuation can be a limited evacuation of a single building or a general evacuation of an entire city due to a fire, storm or other disaster. People can be evacuated by air, water or ground transportation. In some cases, contaminated individuals may need to be decontaminated prior to being evacuated from a site.

For businesses, establishing evacuation procedures is a vital part of emergency preparedness. These include identifying primary and secondary escape routes and assembly areas as well as developing procedures for locating employees in the event of an emergency.

In addition, companies should communicate their evacuation plan to their workforce, vendors and visitors. This information can be provided in an employee manual or through electronic communication. Evacuation plans should be reviewed periodically to ensure they are up-to-date and understandable in the event of a real emergency. Also, a communication plan should be in place for use if family members get separated during an evacuation. This should involve designated meeting places outside of the affected evacuation area as well as a communications system for keeping everyone up to date on developments through news media, social media and alert broadcasts to smartphones.
Sheltering

In many disasters, people who lack shelter are the first to be affected. Without adequate support, their situations become even more difficult and a response that excludes them from evacuation plans or shelters can become inefficient and harmful.

When officials issue a “Shelter-in-Place” noticeexternal icon, you should find the safest location indoors and stay there until they say it’s safe to leave. Be sure to check for a safe place for pets, water, and anything else you might need. Make a list of supplies to bring with you in case the shelter stays in place for several days.

Addressing the need for adequate and dignified shelter is a key part of CARE’s approach to defeat poverty. It’s why we provide emergency and interim shelter in complex humanitarian emergencies as well as working to empower displaced people so they can rebuild their lives. Supporting their access to cash, information about tenure and property rights, resiliency-building skills and job opportunities is important too. We also help people with homes, who may lose them during a disaster, by offering repairs and providing assistance to return to or rebuild their homes.
Cleanup

Prepare your workplace for emergencies by reviewing and training workers on the type of emergency response procedures to follow. The size of the workplace, work processes, materials handled, and available on-site resources may impact the specific course of action required in an emergency. For example, if your business stores hazardous chemicals, you should provide workers with detailed information about the types of potential emergencies that could occur on site, reporting procedures, alarm systems and evacuation plans.

Cleanup operations are necessary to control the spread of contamination after a spill and ensure the safety of people working in the area. Lone Worker Alarm Workers who have been contaminated should seek decontamination assistance including use of eyewashes and safety showers. In some cases, cleanup operations at the site might fall under requirements of HAZWOPER and require special engineering and administrative controls, work practices and PPE for emergency response and recovery workers.

For example, DTSC works to assist local emergency responders and restoration crews after major disasters, such as wildfires or flooding, to remove household hazardous waste (HHW) and other harmful substances such as lead-acid and household batteries, bulk pesticides and pool chemicals; paints and thinners; and e-waste from properties or impacted areas and drop off locations for proper disposal.
Homepage: https://www.loneworkeralarms.co.nz/