When it comes to an organization’s emergency preparedness plan, often we become complacent in our preparations or succumb to the thought that “it won’t happen to me.” Unfortunately, disaster does not discriminate and all of us are as some risk for bad things happening. Emergency planning, a robust emergency preparedness plan and a mass notification system can help us mitigate the bad things that may just come our way.
4 Ways to Strengthen Your Emergency Preparedness Plan & Communication
Emergency planning is necessary for both your personal and professional well-being. Today we are going to focus on your workplace’s emergency preparedness plan. We are going to discuss four reasons why a mass notification system should be part of your plan including some of the tips encouraged by the American Red Cross.
Communicate changes to your emergency preparedness plan effectively. In nearly all areas of your emergency preparedness plan, you are going to need to disseminate information in an effective way. For example, as the Red Cross points out be sure to designate a safe meeting place outside in the event of a fire. What if, however, a fire breaks out on a day where there is a near record setting temperature (either cold or hot!)? You’ll need to communicate to your organization an alternate location — perhaps at a building across the street. Even if you have these alternate places designated, you’ll want to communicate instructions so you can keep everyone safe and accounted for. The RedFlag mass notification system can alert people while they are evacuating on their smartphones or tablets.
Communicate points of contact and where to go for help. By utilizing the RedFlag mass notification system during an emergency you’ll be able to keep your workforce abreast of the situation no matter where they are. If a hurricane strikes, displacing your employees and their families, the RedFlag mass notification system allows you to easily distribute your organization’s points of contact for accountability efforts and assistance. As the American Red Cross points out, pre-determining your points of contacts and educating your workforce on who to contact in case of an emergency before one occurs is paramount — but being able to quickly and easily communicate this information via a mass notification system is also essential especially during a disaster when things can become confusing.
Communicate instructions specific to the situation at hand. When disaster strikes, no matter how robust your emergency preparedness plan is, it is inevitable that there will be information you’ll need to distribute to your workforce. The RedFlag mass notification system allows you to create messages from scratch with only a few clicks. And even if your building is destroyed, because RedFlag runs in the cloud, you can still communicate to your employees by logging on to the RedFlag mass notification system from any internet connected device.
Communicate preparations before disaster strikes. When your organization chooses to implement a mass notification system, don’t let it “sit and collect dust” waiting for an emergency. Use the RedFlag mass notification system to let your workforce know that you’ve updated your emergency preparedness plan. Send notifications to mangers reminding them to review evacuation route with their departments and to email in their accountability forms. Request that your employees update their emergency contact information by sending a notification to each individual employee.
The common thread here today is communication. Being able to communicate in a simple, reliable and effective way during an emergency should be a principal concern of your organization. The added bonus of a mass notification system is that is can, and should be, used during non-emergency settings as well, especially as a training tool to help your workforce be more prepared every day.
