Individuals and businesses have a responsibility to develop these plans and to practice, test, and also revise them as time passes. An emergency response plan that relies on flashlights, for example, won't do much good if the batteries don't work; and a business continuation plan that relies on backup computer tapes stored in a basement also isn't the most optimal.

The well-documented steps needed for such plans include setting a policy, establishing a planning team, conducting a company-wide risk assessment for all locations, determining who and which organizations would be needed to respond, and assembling a response team made up of both internal and external players. After these plans are written and vetted, they must be implemented. The next step is training, with built-in maintenance and upgraded responsibilities.

As with other such programs, however, some of the simplest elements that should be emphasized are overlooked. What's more, it's often the “obvious” items that turn out to be critical in an emergency response situation.

Here are a few of the issues that need to be considered for a solid plan:

Building Occupancy

Do you know who is in the building at all times, including employees and visitors? When a fire or other disaster occurs, the primary concern is life safety. If information on building occupancy is not readily available—both on-site and at safe off-premises locations—there may be no way of checking for all building occupants.

Our headquarters building, for example, has the standard key card access system. A record of the card's activity is transmitted real-time to the facility manager's home.

Most corporate offices, including those of National Underwriter, require that visitors check in on arrival. Signing in helps to control visitor traffic and keep track of people in an emergency. In the event of an evacuation, the procedure is for the receptionist to carry out the log-in record. There must be nothing worse than not knowing whether an employee just didn't report for work that day, or whether she will emerge from a burning structure. These types of procedures should be built into the plan not only for the primary location, but also satellite offices.

Employee Travel

These days, most of us make our own travel arrangements, and executive level personnel aren't permitted on the same flights. But I've been on many a flight where it appears that entire departments of mid-level staff are traveling together.

Think about it—is it really a good idea for an entire IT workforce—sans chief information officer, because of rules about flying with other staff members—to be on the same plane? Probably not. While an emergency response effort might not be needed if multiple employees were involved in a single travel accident, it could trigger business continuity issues at an on-site disaster level.

Evacuation Drills

Having a building evacuation plan doesn't make much sense if it hasn't been tested in two years—or if there's been substantial employee turnover since the last drill. Sadly, a sure indication that people don't comprehend the danger of a structural fire is an alarm sounding in a public building—when those present curiously peer around, wondering if they should leave.

The answer is a resounding yes—evacuate!

Locations where employees should congregate must be clearly communicated to all levels. Moreover, individual department heads or evacuation leaders need to be responsible for an employee head count. Organizations that do not conduct evacuation drills and account for employee compliance are only asking for trouble if a catastrophe strikes their buildings.

CliffsNotes Needed

Any emergency response plan is worthless if it's hard to locate and too cumbersome to carry. An abbreviated version of the plan, featuring contact information for those key to its implementation, should be conveniently located and transportable. The “CliffsNotes version” could be accommodated by a number of technical gadgets—and a back-up hard copy is not a bad idea either (think power failure). Also, make sure more than one person has access to the plan.

A company can never emphasize life safety too much. Discussion of the emergency response drill should be included in employee handbooks, mentioned during orientation, and at least included in periodic staff meetings. This is particularly true with employee turnover and expansion.

The only time these plans really work is when senior management buys into them and communicates their importance. Initial efforts of writing and implementing the plan and its continuing maintenance and upgrades must have their complete support. A safety officer or even an emergency response committee cannot single-handedly spearhead an effort and expect everyone to comply—a senior executive, however, can.

So while we can all discuss the weather, no one can really do anything about it. Corporations can, however, instill the value of emergency response procedures into all levels of the organization and take the steps necessary to handle the risks before it's too late.

Diana Reitz is editorial director of FC&S Online and has a background with a regional independent agency. She may be reached at [email protected].