Considerations for Emergency Response

Accidents happen and it pays to be prepared. A fast, thoughtful response to an emergency can save lives.

Identify hazards in your environment and make a list of potential alarm conditions.

The first steps in any emergency response will be to announce alarm conditions to affected staff, response teams, security, and so on.

Decide who to contact. Some of the people you may need to contact in an emergency include:

• Staff

• Guests

• Security

• Contractors

• Head Office

• Administrators

• Safety Officers

• Emergency Services

Decide how to reach your people. Some of the methods available to you might include:

• Public Address

• Mobile Phones

• Pagers

• PDA's

• Telephones

• Sound Cards

• Windows Messages

• Email Addresses

• Fax Machines

Decide what to tell your people. As much as possible, it is a good idea to plan what to tell your people in an emergency. For instance: it may be appropriate to instruct staff and public to evacuate, security to investigate and medics to stand by.

Plan carefully. Time runs differently in a crisis. You need systems in place that quickly deliver appropriate response messages to all the right people, including provision for contractors and guests on site who may be unaware of emergency procedures.

Plan contingencies. No plan is foolproof, no system remains infallible and not every emergency can be foreseen.

Practice the plan. A good, practiced plan will allow your people to react in the best manner properly. People panic less if they know how to deal with a situation.

Raising an alarm should put into motion the planned response. Everyone should know what to do.

Siren 2007 makes it easy! If you have a good plan in place then you should have no trouble translating it into Siren 2007. Read the Administration Guide for information about installing and configuring Siren 2007.

Disclaimer: This document is NOT a guide for designing an emergency response plan. It may be advisable to seek professional assistance when designing such a plan. No liability is accepted for thoughts by the author expressed in this document.