Being prepared for an emergency provides you with your best chance for a successful, and coordinated response. One of the first steps you should take to prepare for an emergency is to do a hazard and vulnerability assessment.  Take a look at your community or facility and make a list of possible emergency situations that can occur.

Are you located near an industrial area, do you have major highways near you are you prone to floods or fires?  These are the questions you must ask yourself as you begin to list potential emergency situations that could occur.  You must believe it will happen to plan for it.

Emergencies and disasters can have a devastating impact on your business or community. The impact can be societal, economic or environmental.  Government and Senior Management have a critical role to play in emergency management and preparedness.  A key element of emergency preparedness is building a sustainable framework for your emergency program.  Ensure it includes, training and education, an emergency plan and a test of your number one hazard.  Build in the four pillars of emergency management into your program; prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Effective recovery is the result of a coordinated set of actions designed to reduce the effects of the disaster. A prepared recovery plan will help you overcome and minimize the negative impacts of a disaster.

Decision making in a crisis situation is different from day-to-day decisions. In an emergency you may not have all the information, or the information could be changing rapidly.  Ensure you have the right facts, that its accurate and timely before you act upon it.

Leadership that takes emergency management and programming seriously, that build and then sustain their programs, lessen the impact a large scale disaster will have on their economy, residents and the environment.

So, it’s always important to continually improve and build upon your emergency programs.  Remember having a plan is not planning.  Take the time to ensure you are doing it right.