HLS-Response and Recovery - Case Study Example

?HLS-Response and Recovery After the events of September 11, many organizations have been forced to reevaluate their preparedness for certain events (Maniscalso and Christen, 2002). Every organization needs to have effective mechanisms to deal with emergency response and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines an emergency as “any unplanned event that can cause deaths or significant injuries to employees, customers or the public” Healthy Child (2011 par 1). This event can cause a business to shut down, disrupt normal operations, cause physical damage and may even affect the business facility’s finances and public image. There are numerous events that can cause emergency situations: fires, floods, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, winter storms, hazardous material incidences, civil disturbance, communications failures, radiological accidents or explosions of any kind (FEMA, 2011). Emergency response and recovery are just two of the components of emergency management. Emergency management is defined by FEMA as “the process of preparing for, mitigating, responding to and recovering from an emergency”. The response and recovery strategy for organizations should be designed for the benefit of everyone in the organization. The strategy should also support business continuity. Response of an emergency involves mobilizing all the emergency services and first responders to the area that has been hit by an emergency. In the response phase, some of the core emergency services that come in handy include ambulance, firefighters and police. If need be these services may receive support from specialist rescue teams, it all depends on the type and severity of disaster. The response plan should have the following components: planning, reviewing, training and testing (Department of Homeland Security, 2011). For the response to be successful, the organization would need to prepare an emergency plan that also needs to be well rehearsed. This does help in enhancing the efficiency of the coordination of the rescue mission. While responding to an emergency situation, it is important that the organization maintains both discipline and agility. This, when combined with the formation of a functional leadership rescue team, makes containment of the situation very easy and efficient (Gigliotti and Jason, 1991). A disciplined and agile team involved in response activities within an organization can easily adapt to any changes in the emergency situation and still carry out their rescue mission successfully. The other part of the emergency management strategy of any organization after response is recovery. The main goal of this phase is the restoration of the organization back to its previous state. Unlike response, recovery efforts are focused on addressing the immediate needs of the organization after the rescue mission is complete. Recovery therefore deals with the issues and decisions that will have to be made in order to ensure that the organization’s operations return to normal, or to how they were before disaster struck. Recovery efforts may include the rebuilding of destroyed property and facilities, repair of infrastructure and re-employment (Maniscalso and Christen, 2002). Recovery efforts should always aim to reduce the risks that led to the disaster. For the recovery efforts to be successful, they need to be well planned and executed. What are the key plan components that should be periodically updated? Evacuation plans An organization’s emergency plan needs to be updated regularly in order to conform to the current needs. Reviewing the emergency evacuation plans is one way of ensuring that the response measures that are in place are as current as possible. For instance, if a company expands or changes its facilities, its evacuation plans also need to change to reflect the changes that have occurred. If the company happens to increase its workforce, the emergency evacuation plans will need to be re-evaluated to accommodate the increase in the number of employees. Evacuation measures also need to be reviewed from time to time in order to take into account emerging risks that might lead to emergency situation in the organization. The assembly points that have been set aside for emergency purposes also need to be evaluated every once in a while to ensure that they are in good condition or that they are safe for the evacuation purposes (Department of Homeland Security, 2011). Equipment checks Periodic emergency equipment checks are also vital in the overall emergency plan of an organization. If the emergency measures that the company is relying on are more than ten years old, there is a high likelihood that the equipment that was set up to deal with emergency situations needs to be replaced or repaired. Carrying out regular checks on this equipment will ensure that they are in good condition if and when they need to be used. The checks will also help the department responsible for response and recovery to identify new equipment that might be needed in case of an emergency (Gigliotti and Jason, 1991). Training and drills Training and drills for an organization’s emergency management need to be frequently reviewed so as to ensure that they are relevant to the potential emergency scenarios that are likely to occur within the organization. The training and drills should be evaluated every so often so that they can adequately address the roles and responsibilities of every employee. The training should also be updated to offer current information about hazards and risks, threats and possible protective actions. Updating training methods also ensures that there will be ample notification, communications and warning about a possible emergency scenario. The other issues that updated training addresses are evacuation and accountability procedures, proper use of emergency equipment and shut down procedures during emergencies (Maniscalco and Christen, 2002). Insurance and other vital records Updating insurance cover against natural and manmade disasters in the organization is very important. Sometimes it may be necessary to update the insurance so as to cover as much as possible in case something happens to the organizations during an emergency situation. Reviewing insurance needs for the organization will enable the business to survive regardless of whether it is in a high risk or moderate-to-low risk area. It is also important to continuously update insurance cover for the organizations so as to keep premiums as low as possible. Updating the insurance coverage of the company is also a way of following federal and state laws that require businesses to get relevant insurance coverage for certain risks such as fires and floods (Gigliotti and Jason, 1991). Plan Testing The plans made for response and recovery need to be tested to ensure that they can be implemented without a problem in case of an emergency. Performing a live exercise is the best way to test whether the response and emergency plan is practical or not. There many reasons for performing this exercise. For one, it helps to build a team spirit within the organization. Everyone will feel that they have an important role to play in maintaining the survivability of the organization in case a disaster happens. The exercise is also good for training purposes. The only way to fully prepare everyone in the company for a potential emergency situation is to train them on the basics of response and recovery (FEMA, 2011). Regular exercises that are used as testing for emergency plans are suitable for organizations as they also incorporate new employees into the exercise. The individual in charge also needs to decide of which systems that are to be tested. For instance, a fire drill may require testing on evacuation, Testing is important as it allows the organization to determine its areas of weakness when it comes to emergency planning and management. Testing helps the individuals involved in emergency management in the company to prepare the entire organization for any eventuality. It is also a dependable way of knowing which emergency measure is best to use when certain disasters strike. After testing the plan, it is important to have an evaluation criterion which can used to gauge its strengths and weaknesses. The participants expected in a plan test include the facilitators, controllers, responders, simulators, external agencies and independent evaluators (Department of Homeland Security, 2011). Drills Carrying out periodical drills is important in ensuring that the company gets back to normal business as fast as possible after a disaster hits. Practicing for emergencies of all kinds puts the organization at a better position to deal with emergency procedures. Some of the most common drills that an organization should carry out regularly include: fire drills, explosion drills, hazardous material drills, earthquake, hurricane and tornado drills. These are the most likely disasters that might hit an organization. During these drills, the relevant rescue departments also need to be involved so as to make the exercises more practical. For example, during a fire drill the fire department may be called upon to help the employees and customers in the company know what to do in case a fire breaks out. The first aid department may help in disseminating knowledge and skills on basic first aid procedures which may come in handy during an emergency situation (Maniscalco and Christen, 2002). During these drills all the emergency measures and plans that an organization has prepared need to be in place. The employees and anyone else in the organization’s facilities and buildings need to know where the emergency exits are so that the evacuation process is efficient. They also need to know where the first aid kits and fire extinguishers are. In other words, everyone within the organization should be able to have knowledge about what to do in an emergency situation and they should have easy access to basic emergency tools. Simulation drills are very important as they enable the organization to prepare for any eventuality (Department of Homeland Security, 2011). Being prepared is a sure way to protect small and big businesses and also ensure the organization has a better chance of survival in an emergency situation. There are different kinds of drills or exercises that are carried out in organizations in preparation for emergency response. These exercises include: briefing, training, tabletop, tactical, full scale and emergency review exercises. Briefing takes the form of orientation and education sessions which are held regularly within the organization. These scheduled discussion forums are normally designed to provide information and answer questions about emergency plans. The sessions are also important as they form a basis for identifying needs and concerns of employees regarding the safety measures of the company (FEMA, 2011). Tabletop exercises are those drills which are conducted by those members of the emergency planning and management group. These exercises normally involve conference like meetings whose main purpose is to discuss the responsibility of each of the members and possible reactions to emergency situations. Tabletop exercises are important as they are used to identify redundancy in the emergency management plans of the organization. This helps in avoiding confusion while conducting training activities related to emergency management. The tabletop exercise is best suited for review purposes of the response plan. Full scale exercises involve a simulation exercise where the employees and managers are supposed to act like there is a real emergency situation (Department of Homeland Security, 2011). Total Involvement The department that is responsible for the general emergency planning in an organization needs to have the full support of the company’s upper management. In most cases, the authority of all operations in the organization lies with the chief executive. With the support of top management within the organization, responding to and recovering from emergency situations will be easier. The top management also needs to get involved in the response and recovery plans so as to set a good example for employees who should be encouraged to offer the same kind of support. It is important to let the top management of the organization know the importance of having proper emergency plans in place (Maniscalco and Christen, 2002). Therefore, one needs to dwell on the positive rather than negative aspects of the plan while selling the idea to the organization’s management. Some of the positive aspects that come with planning for disaster response and recovery include helping companies protect employees, customers, the community at large as well as the environment. This protection offered by the company is a fulfillment of its obligation to protect everyone within and outside its walls (FEMA, 2011). Planning for emergency response and recovery also facilitates an organization’s compliance with federal and state requirements. The company is also able to make a quick recovery from any losses and damages that may have led to the disruption of normal business. Emergency preparedness also reduces the organization’s liability, be it civil or criminal, in case of a disaster. An organization that is well prepared to deal with an emergency situation enjoys better corporate image and credibility from its employees, suppliers, customers and the community at large. The company also enjoys a better corporate image and credibility among its employees, suppliers, customers and the community at large. The insurance premiums for a company that has taken measures to respond to and recover from emergency situations are likely to be reduced (Department of Homeland Security, 2011). Conclusion Planning for emergency situations is something that all organizations ought to do. Response and recovery are particularly important as they determine how fast a company gets over the effects of a disaster and gets backs back to normal business. By having appropriate response and recovery measures in place, the company can survive a host of emergency situations without having to disrupt business for a long time. Response and recovery plans need to have continuity which means that the company’s internal and external functions have to be considered. There is need to update certain components of the response and recovery plans so that they remain relevant in case an emergency situation occurs. It is also important to test the plan to ensure that it is practical. Testing is also important as it enables the planners to identify those areas in emergency planning that need to be improved on. The emergency response and recovery plan can only work if everyone in the organization is fully involved in its development and execution. References Department of Homeland Security. (2011). Preparedness, response, recovery. Retrieved April 22, 2011 from: http://www.dhs.gov/files/prepresprecovery.shtm Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2011). Protect Your property or business from Disaster. Retrieved April 21 2011 from: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/howto/index.shtm Gigliotti, R. and Jason, R. (1991). Emergency planning for maximum protection. Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann. Healthy Child (2011) Planning for Emergencies in Childcare. Retrieved April 22, 2011 from: http://www.healthychild.net/TheMedicineChest.php?article_id=559 Maniscalco, P.M. and Christen, H.T. (2002). Understanding terrorism and managing the consequences. 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