Emergency Preparedness

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Emergency Preparedness

• A Presentation by
• Marilyn A. Blake, CRM
• Telcom Insurance Group
• Well be there Before, During, After, Always!

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What is an Emergency?

• Any unplanned event that can cause deaths or
  significant injuries to employees, customers, or
  the public
• Or, that can shut down your business, disrupt
  operations, cause physical/environmental damage,
  or threaten the companys financial standing or
  public image.

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What are Examples of an Emergency?

• Fire
• Flood
• Hurricane
• Tornado
• Winter storm (snow/ice/hail)
• Earthquake
• Lightning
• Wind Storm

• Roof collapse
• Tower damage
• Power surges
• Communications failure
• Explosion
• Civil disturbance
• Unexpected loss of key supplier

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Every Year Emergencies Take Their Toll on
Business in Lives and Dollars

• Goal of the Plan Limiting injuries and damages
  and returning more quickly to normal operations

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Whos Job is it?

• Preparedness is EVERYONEs job during the first
  few hours/days following an emergency, essential
  services may not be available. So, EVERYONE must
  be ready to act (according to their assigned
  roles)

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Think About This...

• How long will your business last without
  computers or operating switches?
• What would happen if you were denied access to
  your facilities, server, or customer records?
• How long could you work without telephone
  service, electricity, water (utilities) or run
  only on generators?
• If your building survived, without an emergency
  preparedness plan, you have no guarantee that
  your business would.

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What is Emergency Planning?

• It is the process of preparing for, mitigating,
  responding to, and recovering from an emergency
• The process is dynamic
• Planning is critical, but training, drills,
  testing equipment, and community coordination are
  also essential components

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Reasons to Develop a Plan

• Likelihood of an emergency
• Safeguarding life and property (physical and
  financial)
• Employee morale
• Liability as utility provider
• Public image
• OSHA requirement (1910)--must be written if you
  have more than 10 employees

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4 Steps in the Planning Process

• 1. Establish a planning team
• 2. Analyze capabilities and hazards
• 3. Develop the plan
• 4. Implement the plan

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1-Establish the Team

• Size of the team will depend on the facility, but
  a group is best
• Functional areas to include are
• Upper management
• Safety coordinator
• Line management
• Human Resources
• Engineering/maintenance
• PR/Community relations (links to community
  organizations)
• Accounting/purchasing
• Legal

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2-Analyze

• Many documents are already in place (evacuation
  plan, employee manuals, insurance/risk management
  policies, purchasing procedures, etc.)
• List potential emergencies (historical examples,
  technological possibilities, human error factor),
  their probability, and the best way to minimize
  it
• Local organizations can help (Fire department,
  Red Cross, National Weather Service, Police
  department, construction companies, etc.)

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2-Analyze (Cont)

• Review your insurance risk management policies
• Are property values up-to-date?
• Do you have coverage for floods, earthquakes,
  winter storms, tornadoes, etc.?
• Do you have redundant systems to minimize your
  business interruption exposure in case of
  emergency?
• What are your deductibles?
• What about lost toll or data records?
• Do you know how to call in a claim?

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3-Develop the Plan

• Executive summary/mission statement
• Procedures (for reporting, escape, evacuation,
  resumption of operations)
• Support documents (call lists, site maps)
• Write the document (review and distribute)
• Establish a training schedule for employees
• Obtain upper management approval
• Distribute to employees
• Telcom has prepared a sample fill-in-the-blank
  telco-specific
• document as a starting point for Step 3

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4-Implement the Plan

• Must become part of the corporate culture
• Should have walk-through and functional drills
• Evaluate and modify the plan as new operations
  begin or as situations dictate
• Make sure employees have read the plan and
  understand it and their roles

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An Ounce of Prevention

• No emergency preparedness plan can guarantee that
  your telephone company wont suffer any
  losses--but it can minimize the damage and help
  use all of your resources to protect your
  employees and your business.

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Resources

• Telcom Insurance Group (www.telcominsgrp.com or
  800-222-4664)
• www.FEMA.gov
• www.OSHA.gov
• www.EPA.gov
• www.RedCross.org