All three of these examples have come across
my desk in the past two years, but they are by
no means the only ones.
So, how do we prepare
for all emergencies?
As Eric Stuart said in his article: “What you
have to do is plan to deal with reasonably
foreseeable emergencies.”
As a result, I have now begun looking at the
art of emergency preparedness differently.
Encourage positive outcomes!
• Start looking at the results of a drill or
incident in a different light. Instead of
asking, “Did they follow the plan?” ask, “Did
everyone get out safely?”.
• Getting everyone out safely is the desired
outcome. Just because it didn’t follow the
designed plan, doesn’t mean it wasn’t
effective. Learn from it.
• Welcome input and reporting. Any insights
to safety should be encouraged and
followed-up on.
• Being able to think objectively and quickly
will save lives as part of your emergency
plan.
If you would like some assistance with your
emergency preparedness program, contact
the Actsafe team to arrange a visit, or sign-up
for our Peer Safety Inspection Program and we
can walk you through scenarios and offer ideas
and resources to help you improve your safety
game!
Resource
Plan!
• Review your emergency preparedness
plan annually but through different lenses;
for example, as a patron, as a volunteer, or
in different conditions. Does rain, snow, or
a storm change your plan?
• Run drills as required, but also run
scenarios. Pretend an exit is blocked, the
hallway is flooded, or the streets are full of
zombies! What should you do?
• Involve the front-line staff in the plan. After
all, they are the ones that have to execute
the plan and they will also have solutions.
• Look for new hazards or obstacles
on a regular basis. The city changing
intersections or traffic patterns can affect
your evacuation routes or the ability
for emergency services to reach you.
Construction on your site often impacts
emergency plans.
Fall 2019 Edition: Emergency Preparedness
Safety Scene 5