Common Emergency Response Plan Pitfalls
Emergency response plans are the foundation for all necessary response actions. The response planning process can be a challenging, daunting, and time-consuming endeavor. Rapidly changing operational components and inconsistent environments can often result in common response plan pitfalls. In the event of an actual emergency, overly complex and untested plans can be deficient and ineffective, endangering the lives of employees and potentially contributing to an escalating emergency situation. Below is a list of commonly exhibited emergency response plan pitfalls that are associated with inadequate responses:
Insufficient or inaccurate plan information: A consistent effort must be made to ensure up-to-date and accurate content.
Lack of identified response resources: Resource availability and limitations should be included in the plan. Inaccurate or lack of sufficient resources can limit ability to respond effectively.
Lack of assigned leadership: Emergency managers should identify and assign leadership positions during the planning process. This will facilitate training and procedural familiarity.
Ineffective response procedures: Inept response actions can derail a response. Response procedures must be tested, exercised, and evaluated for effectiveness and efficiency.
Communication failures: The plan must present up-to-date, thorough, and effective communication processes to ensure the necessary and accurate information is being delivered.
Misplaced focus: Scenario-specific response objectives with properly tested procedures must be cited in the plan to ensure the optimal outcome.
Unprepared staff: Key response personnel must be identified and trained on their roles and responsibilities before an incident occurs.
With so many operational components, response plans must be audited and tested to determine potential effectiveness, discrepancies, and regulatory deficiencies. Once discrepancies and deficiencies are identified, adjustments can be made to ensure compliance, efficiency, and effectiveness. Response plan audits often identify the following specific response plan pitfalls:
Personnel listed in response plans are no longer employed with the company
Emergency response duties and responsibilities are not assigned to appropriate personnel
Inaccurate contact information for company personnel and external resources
Lack of detailed response procedures to hazardous material spills, and other potential emergency scenarios
Lack of site-specific fire pre-plans
Safety and/or response training deficiencies
Inefficient documentation of training records
Inconsistencies with Area Contingency Plans and/or local regulations
Differing plan formats and versions, resulting in varied information and disjointed composition
No efficient process for implementing lessons learned, changes in policies, or regulatory requirements
While companies may not need to “reinvent the wheel” when it comes to safety and emergency response planning, best practices that apply to specific operations must be confirmed. Each facet of a company’s operations should be examined to identify specific emergency management best practices for a particular action, material, scenario, or site circumstance. For example, safety and response best practices exist in the following areas:
Pre-incident planning
Training
Exercises
Security
Fire brigades
Rescue
Hazardous materials handling/response
Confined space safety
Fire loss prevention
Evacuation/Shelter-in-place
An emergency response plan is only as effective as the information it contains and the comprehension of those utilizing it. As facility specifics change, lessons are learned, new information and insights are obtained, and operational priorities are updated, response plans must evolve accordingly. Cyclical plan maintenance is essential in order to capture the multiple moving parts that impact an emergency management program. Fundamental regulatory compliance, inherent safety issues, human resource factors, and a company’s reputation obligate effective emergency management.
About the author:
Melissa Holsberg, marketing coordinator and technical writer for TRP, has published over 400 blogs relating to Safety, Emergency Management, and Response Planning. Having been with the company since 2006, she understands clients’ response planning challenges and has witnessed how technology solutions are changing the landscape of preparedness, response planning, and emergency management.
ABOUT TRP
Since 1995, TRP has designed, implemented, and managed response plans for some of the largest, most complex operations in the world, enabling companies to standardize their preparedness programs and seamlessly deliver response planning “best practice” initiatives. TRP continues to introduce evolutionary technological improvements, upgrades, and state-of-the-art response planning modules, resulting in robust, highly functional systems that improve clients’ usability and regulatory compliance. The SMARTPLANTM is TRP’s newest, most innovative response planning system. This robust tool demonstrates TRP’s long term vision of improving corporate preparedness and the planning process, and reinforces their commitment to the needs of current and future clients.