It Can Happen Here: Emergency Plan

Many tragedies in history happened because people don't know what to do when disaster strikes. With unpreparedness comes panic, which worsens the situation. How many great tragedies in the world would not have happened had people know what to do every step of the way? Thus, it is always important to orient the people you live or work with and equip them with useful knowledge of dealing with emergencies such as deliberate violence, massive accidents and natural disasters. This is where emergency plan comes in.

Many people have the “it-can't-happen-here attitude. This is the kind of mindset you want to eradicate completely. Accidents and emergencies can strike anywhere and to anyone. It is extremely important that your family, colleagues or employees know what to do, where to go and how to deal with the situation if a disaster strikes. You need to design a definite plan that will provide guidance during a major emergency. In the planning process, you'll be surprised to know that there are things in your home or office that can be hazardous and that you lack resources (trained personnel, equipment and supplies). An emergency plan also promotes safety awareness.

When you have completed a team that will architect your emergency plan, it's time to talk about the important elements of the plan. An ideal plan includes all possible emergencies that could happen (fire, earthquake or tsunami), their consequences and the required actions. A floor plan is also essential. You also need to produce a large scale map that will show service conduits and evacuation routes. Procedures and instructions should be written and distributed to everyone, as well as posted on visible areas of the building.

If you're an employer or a team leader, you also need a detailed list of all your employees or team members including their telephone numbers.

Once you have completed a comprehensive plan for handling emergency situations, the next major step is to test if it's effective or not. Drills and exercises may be conducted to practice critical portions of the plan. This is especially necessary with evacuation plans. When shortcomings have become known, review the plan and revise it accordingly.