Update Your Disaster Plan

As an agency owner, you know how important it is to adapt to changes in the industry, technology and your clients. However, when was the last time you updated your agency’s emergency response plan?

Think about it: When was the last time you and your emergency response team took the time to review your agency response plan? The likely answer is, “not recently enough.”

Emergency planning is vital to an agency, and principals and owners should treat their plans like living documents. An emergency response plan isn’t something that goes into a drawer to be forgotten. Updates should be made for technology upgrades; changes in clientele; or new staff. If possible, edit the plan as changes are made. Being stuck with an outdated plan can make disaster scenarios worse; don’t compromise your agency simply because you didn’t take the time to make necessary updates.

Refreshing your plan will give you the tools you need to respond to a disaster in the most effective way, but don’t assume your work is done once updates are applied. Principals, managers and owners should test emergency response plans at least once a year. Parts of your response to a crisis, like notifying the teams involved, can be tested more often: while equally vital, they are less resource-intensive. Without testing, there’s no guarantee everything you spent the time to update will go smoothly during an actual disaster. Drills help you and your employees understand crisis roles and responsibilities.

There are three types of drills worth conducting periodically to ensure your emergency response plan is up-to-date. Each is important for different reasons, and learning how to manage them will give you an edge in keeping your employees and workplace safe and informed/knowledgeable.

Continue reading full article. Reprinted with permission from PIA Management Services Inc.