How to Create an Emergency Response Plan for Your Office

You never know when disaster will strike, so it’s always best to be prepared in the event of an emergency. By creating an emergency response plan for your office, you're ensuring your co-workers and employees are safe...from whatever happens.

Courtesy of the emergency response experts at Paul Davis, here are the top ways to prepare for an emergency at your commercial space:

Create a Plan

The only way to know what to do in an emergency situation is to have an effective plan in place. Your plan should specify what building members should do in various situations and where the closest exits and emergency supplies are located. Although it’s important to already have a plan, it’s equally important to not rush this process. When you rush, you’re bound to miss out on details that will significantly impact the overall effectiveness.

To avoid rushing, try to divide the planning process into two stages. First, create a general plan outlining what everyone should do in the event of a fire, flood, or storm. Remember to include plans for the type of disaster that occurs most often in your region. In BC, for example, earthquakes are more common, while Quebec is more vulnerable to flooding. By taking these things into account, you’re sure to create a plan that covers the most threatening disasters to you.

After creating this initial draft, review it with the rest of your team and keep creating new drafts until no flaws are detected. In this type of situation, the more input the better!

Involve Your Employees

Your employees spend the majority of their waking hours at work. They have a pretty good understanding of the building’s layout and may recognize vulnerabilities in the plan you’ve proposed. Try to involve employees from diverse departments, as each will have a unique perspective. It’s also important to include the building’s maintenance staff when creating the emergency preparedness plan. Out of all your employees, chances are they have the best insights, seeing as they have the best understanding of your building as a whole.

Educate Everyone

An emergency preparedness plan is essentially useless if no one knows about it. Hold a few training sessions in your weekly meetings to discuss what everyone should do in the event of an emergency. Consider hosting these sessions every time someone new joins the team, as well. This is a great opportunity to refresh the memory of those who have already undergone training and is critical knowledge for new employees moving forward.

Paul Davis is the leading provider of restoration services in Canada. In the unfortunate event of a fire, flood, or storm, trust the Paul Davis experts to restore your commercial space to working order. Learn more about our residential and commercial restoration services by calling 1-800-661-5975 today!