| Having an emergency response plan in place at your | | | | plan should cover how you are going to keep |
| company is of vital importance, as it can mean the | | | | everyone up to date and ensure that they are acting |
| difference between an emergency situation being | | | | with the correct information. If you are using an |
| handled well and it being handled poorly and possibly | | | | emergency warning system this can be done via |
| becoming worse as a result of it. Unfortunately, a | | | | automatic follow-ups, but you might also want to |
| number of companies find themselves unprepared for | | | | consider instituting a telephone tree or group contact |
| the unexpected situations which can arise... situations | | | | policy in order to get additional information out to those |
| which might not have been as bad as they ended up | | | | who need it. A telephone tree consists of each person |
| being if the employees had been trained with how to | | | | having a select number of other employees who they |
| handle emergencies. Developing an emergency | | | | are responsible for contacting so that they can pass |
| response plan doesn't have to be difficult, and with just | | | | the information along as it becomes available, while a |
| a little bit of training and the proper familiarity with your | | | | group contact policy divides everyone up into groups |
| emergency response plan your employees can be | | | | with a specific person designated as the group |
| ready for almost any situation which might arise. | | | | contact. Information is passed to the group contacts |
| Early Warning and Emergency Notification | | | | as new information is learned, and from there the |
| The first thing that you should look at in order to | | | | members of the group need only to get in touch with |
| implement an emergency response plan in your | | | | the contact to learn the latest on the situation. |
| company is how you will let your employees and | | | | Calm and Level-Headed Reaction |
| managers know when an emergency situation occurs. | | | | Of course, the most important part of an emergency |
| While it's possible to spread the word via employee | | | | response plan is that your employees know how to |
| interaction, in many cases the chain of communication | | | | handle emergency situations in the event that they |
| will break down and messages will become skewed | | | | occur. Nothing can take a situation that was less than |
| to the point that some employees and managers are | | | | favorable and make it downright bad faster than |
| either not receiving the notification at all or the | | | | employees who panic or overreact to the emergency. |
| information that they receive is wrong. There are a | | | | When you develop your emergency response plan |
| number of emergency notification systems available | | | | and discuss it with your employees, make it clear to |
| which will automatically contact your employees with | | | | them where they should go, who they should contact, |
| the needed information, and in many cases the system | | | | and what sort of updates they should be expecting in |
| will also contact the police, ambulance, fire department, | | | | order to help avoid confusion. Staging regular drills |
| or any other emergency service personnel that may | | | | which simulate different emergency situations can be |
| be needed. | | | | a great idea to help keep your employees ready to do |
| Proper Information Distribution | | | | what they have to in order to get through an |
| Once the initial contact has been made and everyone | | | | emergency as well as ensuring that they are familiar |
| has been made aware of the situation which has | | | | with your emergency response plan and that they |
| developed, the next part of your emergency response | | | | know what to expect in case a warning should come. |