Keeping your emergency plan current and complete in case of an unexpected crisis

A series of significant construction accidents in Manhattan over the past year is just the latest example of how your property can be impacted by an unexpected crisis. One moment it's business as usual, with workers filing in and out of offices, elevators and lobbies. The next, a massive crane from the work-site next door comes crashing into your building. How well you prepared for this emergency can make a critical difference in the protection of life and the survival of your enterprise. Building owners, property managers, co-op and condo boards, administrators and security directors must be ever-vigilant when it comes to emergency planning. The good news is that a well thought out emergency plan can be effective for most types of crisis situations and can save you time and money in the long run. An emergency is any situation that can divert a facility from normal operations or production. In the New York region, emergencies are most-often man made, such as a construction accident, a power blackout, an act of workplace violence, terrorism, civil disturbance or fire. However, one must also be prepared for acts of nature, such as a hurricane or severe storm. To protect against loss of life and property, financial chaos, and marketplace loss, it is essential that your emergency plan be professionally designed — and updated on a regular basis. To begin the emergency planning process, there are several steps you should take. * Review existing plans and procedures for their validity. * Gain upper management involvement and support. * Identify the facilities to be included and thoroughly understand all distinctive elements of each of them. * Conduct a vulnerability assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the facility. Parenthetically, this aspect of emergency planning must be conducted by a certified individual associated with a reputable and licensed company that has solid references. * Identify the facilities' resources and their priority, such as people, equipment and existing plans. * Study the organization's demographics, including key employees and home contact information, and assign responsibilities. From this information, an Emergency Planning Team should be formed to include a coordinator and representatives of various organization disciplines, such as operations, information technology, finance, customer service, auditing, risk management, labor relations and media relations. This team is critical to formulating the emergency planning specifically for your building and your industry. For an effective plan, the team should determine: * Evacuation procedures and emergency escape route assignments. * Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate. * Procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed. * Rescue and medical duties for those employees who are to perform them. * Means of quickly reporting fires and other emergencies to appropriate authorities. * Names or job titles of persons who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan. Your emergency plan should be centralized with effective communication procedures and numerous levels of back up. You may also want to consider the use of trained emergency assistance employees, a media spokesperson, supporting materials, such as maps and call-up lists, and mutual aid agreements for sheltering people when area evacuations are not feasible. Although each of the aforementioned has checklists necessary for effective emergency planning, it is critical that clearly established procedures for evacuations from buildings exist and that they are tested periodically through tabletop, partial scale and full scale exercises. Maps should be posted in the workplace identifying evacuation routes and shelter areas, with safety monitors assigned to assist with evacuations. Employees should be assembled in specific locations where they can be accounted for and administered to, if necessary. The emergency team may also consider who can authorize an evacuation, set up a missing person system, and how to best protect your critical equipment and records. Since New York represents the nation's financial and commercial capital, it is vital that the world-class companies and buildings located here have a dynamic partnership with law enforcement, which includes ongoing training. This is now expressed through "NYPD Shield" (www.nypdshield.org) which brings the many private security/law enforcement partnerships together under one umbrella and assists with threat information, briefings and emergency planning training. A private security firm such as Summit Security Services is experienced in the development of emergency action plans and brings specialized knowledge to the situation. Be sure that the firm you choose to formulate your plan participates in ongoing training, is fluent in the latest city, state and federal laws impacting emergency preparedness, and, most important, has the depth of organization necessary to address your every security need. John Nolan is director of corporate services at Summit Security Services, New York, N.Y.