FIRST RESPONSE

By Rocky Lopes, PhD, Senior Associate for Community Education American Red Cross, National Headquarters

Every year emergencies take their toll on business and industry—in lives and dollars. When a crisis or emergency happens, someone must be in charge! Priorities must be established. There are four core functions that should be operational during Crisis and Emergency Response.

DIRECTION AND CONTROL
The system for managing resources, analyzing information and making decisions is called direction and control. There are two areas of leadership. The Emergency Management Group (EMG) is the team responsible for the big picture. The EMG controls all incident-related activities. The Incident Commander (IC) oversees the technical aspects of the response.

The Emergency Management Group supports the IC by allocating resources and by interfacing with the community, the media, outside response organizations and regulatory agencies. The EMG members are generally senior managers who have the authority to determine the short and long-term effects of the crisis as well as order the evacuation or shutdown of the facility.

The Incident Commander is responsible for front-line management of the incident. [See article "The Incident Command System."]

The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) serves as a centralized management center for emergency operations. Here decisions are made by the EMG based upon information provided by the IC and other personnel. Regardless of size or process, every company should designate an area where decision makers can gather during an emergency.

COMMUNICATIONS
Communications are essential to any business operation. A communications failure can be a disaster in itself, cutting off vital business activities. Consider communications for:

• Responders and the Incident Commander
• Emergency Operations Center
• Employees and their families
• Outside response organizations
• Neighboring businesses
• Customers
• Suppliers
• Media and the public

LIFE SAFETY
Protecting the health and safety of everyone in the facility is the first priority during an emergency. Consideration should be given to:

• Pre-disaster employee education and training
• Establishment of emergency response teams
• Evacuation planning
• Assembly areas and system for accountability
• Shelter

PROPERTY PROTECTION
Protecting facilities, equipment and vital records is essential to restoring operations once an emergency has occurred. Response planning considerations should include procedures for:

• Fire fighting
• Containing material spills
• Closing or barricading doors and windows
• Shutting down equipment
• Covering, securing, or moving equipment
• Shutdown of the facility

Emergencies and even disasters will happen. Business and industry can limit injuries and damages and return more quickly to normal operations if they plan ahead.

For more information:
You may get a copy of the Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry from your local American Red Cross chapter or by calling FEMA’s publications warehouse at (800) 480-2520 or consult a professional disaster response planner in your community.

Also, be sure to consult with your local American Red Cross chapter and emergency management office. While your local Red Cross can not write a disaster plan for you, they can provide information and referrals to community resources who can help. www.redcross.org