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Training's Role in Disaster Planning

© Audrey Choden

Imagine this: An explosion tears through your office building. You and your co-workers working on an upper floor don't know what happened and aren't sure what to do. Security guards with bullhorns order everybody to stay put and say the damage is confined to another part of the building. You and some others decide to get out of the building. Going down the stairs, you hear a guard yell more announcements and caution everybody in the stairwell to stop or return to their floor. What should you do next?

That was the decision faced by people inside the south tower of the World Trade Center minutes before the second plane hit, according to a New York Times article. The survivors made the right decision and left despite the uncertainty. The others were killed. Evacuation of the north tower was better because safety improvements had been made after the 1993 trade center bombing. Still, people had to navigate their way to safety through dark stairwells that lacked safety lights.

We all want to do something in the wake of this tragedy. One of the best things that a business can do is to answer the question "Do our employees know what to do in case of a disaster and can they actually do it?" All businesses should review their emergency plan, systems and procedures, and hold regular disaster training for their employees. Losing valuable employees is the same as losing company assets, except a life can’t be replaced.

The Importance of Training

The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) describes emergency management as "the process of preparing for, mitigating, responding to and recovering from an emergency." Planning is a critical component of emergency management, but functions such as training, conducting drills, testing equipment and coordinating activities with the community are important too.

FEMA provides an Emergency Management Guide For Business & Industry, which includes a 4-step planning process:

1. Establish a Planning Team
2. Analyze Capabilities and Hazards
3. Develop the Plan
4. Implement the Plan

You can access the Emergency Management Guide for Business & Industry at FEMA's Web site. The purpose of this article is to point out training's role in each step of the plan.

Step 1: ESTABLISH A PLANNING TEAM

FEMA recommends forming a planning team from different functions within the organization. The Human Resource Department (including training) should provide input into the plan.

Step 2: ANALYZE CAPABILITIES AND HAZARDS

The next step is to assess the vulnerability of your facility. Analyzing hazards consists of listing potential emergencies that could affect your company. According to FEMA, human error is the single largest cause of workplace emergencies and can result from poor training, poor maintenance, careless, misconduct, substance abuse and fatigue.

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