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The sprinkler system put the fire out almost immediately . However , water continued to surge out of the front and back doors at 15 gallons a minute .
George remembers standing in the middle of her pitchblack restaurant , speaking to the fire department with sprinklers at full blast , wondering how in the world she was going to turn the water off . It ’ s something she never expected to face . But , expecting the unexpected , is the key to emergency preparedness and planning . To help , Washington ’ s Emergency Management Division is upping its efforts to better educate owners of small- to medium-sized businesses on how to be ready when the unexpected happens .
don ’ t get caught unprepared
“ Forty percent of businesses that go under as a result of a disaster do not reopen their doors ,” said Tristan Allen , private sector program manager at the Washington Emergency Management Division . He said the main reason is because of tight budgets and that businesses don ’ t have a lot of personnel to throw at preparedness . The number of businesses that fail is jarring , Allen said , and many business owners are unaware of the potential harm in not preparing for the worst . That ’ s why Allen and his team are starting education and outreach to smaller employers across the state and providing accessible , easy-to-follow and free material as a way to encourage businesses to take the first step in preparing for disasters .
The Washington Emergency Management Division outlines eight important steps to emergency preparedness for employers :
1 . take the washington business preparedness survey
If business owners haven ’ t already , they should take the Washington Business Preparedness Survey .
The survey has 16 questions , eight of which are basic information . The average completion time for the survey is five minutes , according to Allen .
The questions zero-in on key themes : geography , type of industry and overall emergency management planning , Allen said . “ You can identify regions in the state that are lacking in a certain kind of preparedness . Once that ’ s recognized , we can reach out to those regional government organizations to help address the specifics .”
Whether a business has five or 100 employees , Allen said this step will help them .
2 . determine which hazards threaten your business
From major earthquakes and fires to minor flooding and power outages , businesses need to be prepared for any type of disaster .
Preparing for the worst-case scenario — a catastrophic event — will make your business more resilient for even the smallest disruptions , Allen said .
3 . conduct a risk and vulnerability assessment
Spending a couple of hours on a non-business day discussing and assessing risk potentials can drastically improve overall business resiliency .
“ Any disruption to either their physical workspace , their supply line or their employee ’ s ability to get to their facility can have extremely hazardous effects to their overall operations ,” said Allen .
“ Any disruption to either their physical workspace , their supply line or their employee ’ s ability to get to get to their facility can have extremely hazardous effects to their overall operations .”
— Tristan Allen , program manager , Washington Emergency Management Division
4 . conduct a business impact analysis
A Business Impact Analysis predicts the consequences of a business ’ disruption and gathers information to develop recovery strategies .
In today ’ s economic climate , businesses should account for a wide variety of impacts . A Business Impact Analysis identifies and evaluates possible impact of disasters and provides investment structure for business recovery .
5 . create a business continuity plan
What can you do as a business owner if something you cannot control occurs ?
Whether it ’ s a road closure , weather advisory or any other business disruption , business owners can do one of three things , according to Lucianne Phillips , private sector and tribal liaison for FEMA Region 10 : do nothing ; pay someone else to do it if you don ’ t have the time ; or , to use the free planning template , saving time and money .
6 . review insurance coverage on an annual basis
George knew , to an extent , what her business was covered for in case of a fire . Maintaining contact with your insurance company , and yearly reviews of insurance coverage are the most essential practices a business owner can maintain , Allen and Phillips agreed .
“ We don ’ t have a blue book of step one , step two and step three . Which , we really probably should . I know as a small-business owner , and I have been all my life , that I don ’ t have one of those .”
– Debra George , former owner , The Mark Restaurant & Bar
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