Section 1: Step 3 – Develop the Plan

Step 3 - Develop the Plan

Other Sections

You are now ready to develop an emergency management plan. This section describes how.

Plan Components

Your plan should include the following basic components.

Executive Summary

The executive summary gives management a brief overview of: the purpose of the plan; the facility's emergency management policy; authorities and responsibilities of key personnel; the types of emergencies that could occur; and where response operations will be managed.

Emergency Management Elements

This section of the plan briefly describes the facility's approach to the core elements of emergency management, which are:

These elements, which are described in detail in Section 2, are the foundation for the emergency procedures that your facility will follow to protect personnel and equipment and resume operations.

Emergency Response Procedures

The procedures spell out how the facility will respond to emergencies. Whenever possible, develop them as a series of checklists that can be quickly accessed by senior management, department heads, response personnel and employees.

Determine what actions would be necessary to:

Specific procedures might be needed for any number of situations such as bomb threats or tornadoes, and for such functions as:

Support Documents

Documents that could be needed in an emergency include:

Emergency call lists -- lists (wallet size if possible) of all persons on and off site who would be involved in responding to an emergency, their responsibilities and their 24-hour telephone numbers

Building and site maps that indicate:

Resource lists -- lists of major resources (equipment, supplies, services) that could be needed in an emergency; mutual aid agreements with other companies and government agencies.

In an emergency, all personnel should know:

Some facilities are required to develop:

The Development Process

The following is guidance for developing the plan.

  1. Identify Challenges and Prioritize Activities

    Determine specific goals and milestones. Make a list of tasks to be performed, by whom and when. Determine how you will address the problem areas and resource shortfalls that were identified in the vulnerability analysis.

  2. Write the Plan

    Assign each member of the planning group a section to write. Determine the most appropriate format for each section.

    Establish an aggressive timeline with specific goals. Provide enough time for completion of work, but not so much as to allow assignments to linger. Establish a schedule for:

    • First draft
    • Review
    • Second draft
    • Tabletop exercise
    • Final draft
    • Printing
    • Distribution
  3. Establish a Training Schedule

    Have one person or department responsible for developing a training schedule for your facility. For specific ideas about training, refer to Step 4.

  4. Coordinate with Outside Organizations

    Meet periodically with local government agencies and community organizations. Inform appropriate government agencies that you are creating an emergency management plan. While their official approval may not be required, they will likely have valuable insights and information to offer.

    Determine State and local requirements for reporting emergencies, and incorporate them into your procedures.

    Determine protocols for turning control of a response over to outside agencies. Some details that may need to be worked out are:

    • Which gate or entrance will responding units use?
    • Where and to whom will they report?
    • How will they be identified?
    • How will facility personnel communicate with outside responders?
    • Who will be in charge of response activities?

    Determine what kind of identification authorities will require to allow your key personnel into your facility during an emergency.

    Determine the needs of disabled persons and non-English-speaking personnel. For example, a blind employee could be assigned a partner in case an evacuation is necessary.

    The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a disabled person as anyone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, learning, caring for oneself or working.

    Your emergency planning priorities may be influenced by government regulation. To remain in compliance you may be required to address specific emergency management functions that might otherwise be a lower priority activity for that given year.

  5. Maintain Contact with Other Corporate Offices

    Communicate with other offices and divisions in your company to learn:

    • Their emergency notification requirements
    • The conditions where mutual assistance would be necessary
    • How offices will support each other in an emergency
    • Names, telephone numbers and pager numbers of key personnel

    Incorporate this information into your procedures.

  6. Review, Conduct Training and Revise

    Distribute the first draft to group members for review. Revise as needed.

    For a second review, conduct a tabletop exercise with management and personnel who have a key emergency management responsibility. In a conference room setting, describe an emergency scenario and have participants discuss their responsibilities and how they would react to the situation. Based on this discussion, identify areas of confusion and overlap, and modify the plan accordingly.

  7. Seek Final Approval

    Arrange a briefing for the chief executive officer and senior management and obtain written approval.

  8. Distribute the Plan

    Place the final plan in three-ring binders and number all copies and pages. Each individual who receives a copy should be required to sign for it and be responsible for posting subsequent changes.

    Determine which sections of the plan would be appropriate to show to government agencies (some sections may refer to corporate secrets or include private listings of names, telephone numbers or radio frequencies). Distribute the final plan to:

    • Chief executive and senior managers
    • Key members of the company's emergency response organization
    • Company headquarters
    • Community emergency response agencies (appropriate sections)

    Have key personnel keep a copy of the plan in their homes. Inform employees about the plan and training schedule.

    Consolidate emergency plans for better coordination. Stand-alone plans, such as a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plan, fire protection plan or safety and health plan, should be incorporated into one comprehensive plan.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 21-Mar-2006 08:36:39 EST