Empowering the "True First Responders"
Empowering the "True First Responders"
Empowering the "True First Responders"
When one hears the term First Responder,' the images that most often come to mind are of brave Firefighters carrying people out of burning buildings, or the blaring sirens of an Ambulance racing to a motor vehicle accident. These brave men and women put themselves into harms way routinely, to help and protect people during emergencies. With their training and experience, they are able to quickly assess any situation, make decisions based on the resources available to them and effectively deal with the incident.
Rarely however, are these Community First Responders on the scene of an incident when it first happens. In fact, most of the time they are three to five minutes away, or in the worst case scenario, as long as three to five days. The True First Responders are those civilians who are in close proximity to the event when it occurs and are in a position to assist. In a building or facility these True First Responders are the building management and staff, security officers, tenant floor wardens and ordinary occupants that are able to help.
The policies and procedures that the True First Responders initiate prior to the arrival of the authorities can dramatically influence the outcome of an emergency. Depending upon their actions, this effect can either be positive or negative. The odds of having a positive outcome are directly related to the quality of the emergency response plans, training programs and tools provided to the True First Responders.
It is important that the building owner or Property Managers realize that a comprehensive Fire and Life Safety program containing detailed emergency procedures is for the benefit of the True First Responders. They must be given procedures, training and support so they are able to manage an emergency event until the Community First Responders arrive. While for most incidents the emergency response time may be only a few minutes, during a large-scale event, such as an earthquake, hurricane or regional disaster, the response time may be up to several days. With the right procedures and training, the True First Responders should be able to effectively manage the situation during that time.
An effective Fire and Life Safety program consists of four pieces; the first is a comprehensive Fire Safety or, better yet, Multi-Hazard Plan and its accompanying manuals that provide detailed descriptions of the roles and responsibilities, as well as standard operating procedures, for each member of the emergency management team. While a Fire Safety Plan is mandatory by law, it only provides emergency procedures in the event of a fire, while a Multi-Hazard Plan is all-encompassing and much more effective in preparing people for a multitude of emergency situations.
At the corporate level these procedures should be role-specific with the ability to scale to the severity of the event and also reflect inter-connective support and coordination to their facilities, dependants, suppliers, tenants and the community. For inter-connectivity to be successfully realized, the corporate facilities and managed buildings must have plan continuity, using the same system, capability, and nomenclature. This fact was recognized by jurisdictions across North America that have adopted the Incident Command System (ICS) as a cornerstone to their emergency management policies. This integrated system establishes a uniform set of procedures that all emergency responders at every level will use. They will have the same preparation, the same goals and expectations and most importantly they will be speaking the same language. At the facility and corporate level, having everyone executing from the same play book is essential to a successful outcome.
Once the Fire and Life Safety Plan is put together, it's time for training. This second piece of the puzzle is vital to the program's effectiveness. The training, exercising and testing of the plan and the True First Responders on a continual basis is imperative or the plan WILL FAIL. Training can be relatively generic for general occupants, but it needs to be role and site-specific at the facility level. Corporate level training will also need to be role-specific to be effective. Training need not be difficult to plan and implement as online programs are now available for both cost-effectiveness and time-efficiency.
The third piece of an effective program is a way in which to maintain a current plan and communicate with others during an emergency. eSoftware can provide you with an easy and extremely effective way to manage your plan and ensure it is up-to-date. Mass or crisis communications companies offer numerous ways to keep you communicating with everyone during an emergency, including email, text messaging, live websites and more. As with every relationship in life communication is key.
The fourth and final piece of a successful Fire and Life Safety program is supporting the Community First Responders. Keeping your plan up-to-date and knowing your role and responsibilities is essential. There is no point to having a plan, if no one knows it.
By having a comprehensive Fire and Life Safety program and embracing processes to support, train and keep the program current, the end result will be a reduction in life loss, injury, property damage, reputation damage, liability and downtime, as well as less confusion when dealing with an actual emergency.
Call of Duty Black Ops Best Buy A Buyer's Guide to Whirlpool Baths I AM Winning,When It Doesn't Seem Like It New to Bianstone FHA Closing Costs How To Get Guy Back When Youre In A Bad Position Prevention of Some Common Problems of a Stainless Steel Sink Liquid Mineral Make Up vs Mineral Powder Makeup - Which One Is Best? Free coloring work will be hear from single obtain Ladder Racks – Choosing the Best Rack for You Why Buy Wooden Pallets in Grand Rapids MI The Changing Role of the IT Hero The Right Way To Properly Measure Your Stairs