National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month.  According to the Department of Homeland Security, National Preparedness Month is a nationwide effort held each September to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools.

Is your business prepared to face a crisis?  Consider these questions:

Be Informed:

• Do you know what kind of emergencies might affect your company?
• Do you know what you will do in an emergency situation?

Develop a Business Continuity Plan:

• Do you know which staff, procedures and equipment are absolutely necessary to keep operating?
• Do you have back-up plans for operations?
• Do you know what you will do if your building or plant is not accessible?
• Do you know what you will do if your suppliers are impacted by a disaster?
• Are you ready for utility disruptions?

Prepare your Emergency Plan:

• Do you have an evacuation and shelter-in-place plan?
• Do you have a plan to commnicate with employees before, during and after an incident?
• Do you have copies of building and site maps with utilities and emergency routes marked?
• Are your employees trained for medical emergencies?

Practice the Emergency Plan:

• Have you practiced your plan recently?
• Do you practice and coordinate with other businesses in your building or industrial complex?
• Have you reviewed you plans in the past 12 months?

Review Insurance Coverage:

• Have you reviewed your insurance coverage recently to see if you’re covered in a disaster?

Secure your Facility and Equipment:

• Have you secured all the ways people, products and supplies get into your building?
• Have you conducted a room-by-room walk through to determined what can be strapped down?

Improve Cyber Security:

• Do you regularly install patches to your software?
• Have you installed a firewall on your computer?
• Do you regularly update your antivirus software?

Promote Family and Individual Preparedness:

• Do you encourage employees to have a personal emergency supply kit and a family communication plan?

source: ready.gov

For more information, the Department of Homeland Security has a website devoted to preparedness with publications, posters, and information on crisis preparedness and management.

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