Connecticut Safety Society Symposium 2004,
Friday, November 12, 2004
Company Contingency Plans:
The Missing Link in Emergency Preparedness & Response
Presented by Bo Mitchell CPP, CHS-V, CIPS
President, 911 Consulting
Real life solutions to real business threats™
Unprepared corporations constitute a huge vulnerability for government emergency services at federal, state, and local levels.
The private sector owns and operates 85 percent of the critical infrastructure and employs 83 percent of all workers.
Yet 80 percent of corporations confess that they don't have a written emergency response plan (source: American Management Association). Of the 20 percent that have a plan, only a minority train or drill.
This afternoon, you'll learn what you should do beyond yelling, "Call 911!"
The Demand Side of Emergency Services are Corporations
Corporations in the private sector are the leading consumers of emergency services and homeland security efforts.
Terrorist acts are a concern and a threat. Research shows that corporations are terrorist targets because they are either symbols or infrastructure. Yet chances are far greater that a workplace emergency will be caused by fire, workplace violence, severe weather, blackouts, toxic spills, gas leaks, bomb threats, and suspicious substances delivered by mail.
No matter the cause of the emergency, government emergency response agencies can't wholly protect corporations when they won't take steps to protect themselves. When an organization is unprepared and is clueless in how to respond, the problems that emergency services have to address multiply quickly. Chances for injury, fatality, property damage and business interruption skyrocket.
Americans are optimistic about life. Culture and geography have made us inexperienced regarding outside threats to our homes and workplaces. We are not attuned to emergency preparedness and crisis response at home or at work. We're a third-world country in this regard.
European and Middle Eastern countries as well as Japan understand these issues and have culturally adapted to them for many years. America, on the other hand, is a culture in denial.
The Six Phases of Denial
Despite the September 11th attacks, our color-coded threat alert system and employee concerns about safety, corporate executives remain in denial. We at 911 Consulting have identified the Six Phases of Denial for corporations:
- It won't happen to us
- It won't happen here
- It won't happen now
- If it does happen, it won't be so bad
- If it is that bad, our insurance will take care of it
- Finally, "Ohmygod, why didn't we plan for this?!"
Unfortunately, the price of denial is only realized after a disaster befalls the company.
Denial wears many disguises. Often, it's dressed as an attack on profitability. Executives claim that planning, training and drilling subtracts from the bottom line. Or, they say that they intend to plan, train and drill, but in the next budget cycle, or after the busy season ends, or as soon as IT finishes securing all data.
Disguises aside, postponement is all about denial. And denial hovers like a vulture waiting to snatch unprepared executives.
Emergency Preparedness Mythology
A dangerous mythology exists among the public sector and company leaders.
Police, fire and EMS responders count on companies having robust emergency response plans; that they regularly train their personnel; and that they hold regular drills.
Yet company leaders believe that all they need to protect themselves is to call 911 in an emergency (not realizing that emergency response budgets have been slashed nationwide), and carry a lot of insurance.
The Public Sector Believes...
- Myth #1
"Companies prepare and train" - Myth #2
"Since 9/11, every company budgets generously for emergency preparedness" - Myth #3
"Protecting personnel is a company’s highest priority"
The Private Sector Believes...
- Myth #1
"All we need to do is call 911" - Myth #2
"My company has an adequate emergency preparedness plan" - Myth #3
"Since 9/11, our police, fire and EMS have all the personnel they need with the best equipment and training"
This mythology is dangerous because both the public and private sectors are depending on each other regarding their ability to respond to an emergency. In actuality, each credits the other with very high capabilities that simply do not exist. The result: High expectations, low response capabilities—and a greater chance for damage, injury and worse.
Majority of Emergency Responders are "Only Somewhat Prepared"
According to a March 2004 survey by the Council for Excellence in Government (CEG), only 26 percent of emergency responder officials say that they are "adequately prepared" to react to a large-scale emergency or terrorist threat; 65 percent said they are "only somewhat prepared."
Employees are the First Responders; Police, Fire & EMTs are the Official Responders
Police/fire/ambulance are not the first responders. They are the official responders. Employees are the first responders. If they are not prepared, trained and rehearsed in how to respond, they will panic.
During a large-scale disaster, a community's emergency response capability will, in all likelihood, be thrown at the crisis. While all uniformed personnel and equipment are responding to the disaster, few resources are available for responding to a company's 911 call about a heart attack or fire.
Even if a heart attack or fire occurs at a quiet time for emergency responders, the fact remains that, during any emergency, employees are the first on the scene.
There are 144 million workers in the United States. Sixty-four percent of companies employ more than 50 workers; 40.7 percent employ over 500 (source: Bureau of Labor Statistics). Yet only 18 percent of adults have participated in an emergency drill at work in the past year, according to the CEG survey.
What the Private Sector Needs to Do
- Comply with federal regulations. OSHA requires every business with 11 or more employees to have a written evacuation plan and a written fire prevention plan. OSHA also requires that employers provide first aid training to one or more employees, and that adequate first aid supplies be readily available.
- Accept responsibility for being a part of the solution. In the CEG survey, emergency response officials said the top three ways the private sector can be a part of the solution are: "training employees in emergency response" (28 percent of respondents); "Practicing and conducting drills" (22 percent); and "Maintaining an emergency plan" (21 percent).
- Make protecting people as important as protecting data. Companies spend millions on protecting data, yet spend pennies on protecting people. Proper emergency planning, training and drilling can protect people, property and assets—while preventing lawsuits, productivity collapse and a ruined reputation.
What the Public Sector Needs to Do
- Increase outreach to citizens. According to the CEG survey, only 19 percent of adults are aware of and familiar with their city or town's plan for an emergency or a terrorist attack; only 18 percent know about their state government's plan. Eight out of ten adults are ignorant about their local and state governments' plans.
- Reach out to your local business community. Business owners and corporate leadership must understand that calling 911 isn't an emergency plan. Every municipality has finite emergency response resources. Explain how they can help you assist them.
The Polio Solution
By the late 1940's, the polio epidemic continued crippling thousands of children, terrifying parents and exhausting medical resources. Top government officials and medical specialists met to design a strategy for treating the disease in the future.
"Build more iron lungs and sanitariums" was the prevailing public sector solution. Yet Dr. Jonas Salk said, "Let's eradicate this disease from the face of the earth."
The answer to being prepared for emergencies partially lies in Dr. Salk's bold point of view. Yes, the public sector still needs money and resources for responding to emergencies.
However, by preparing and training the 144 million workers in our country in emergency preparedness, we can stop the bleeding of budget and manpower.