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Ready Business
Do you remember where you were during the "East coast blackout" in August of '03? How about the Y2K preparation that everyone on the edge of their seats for months? How might your business be affected if one of these events were to happen tomorrow? Sure, each situation is unique, but organizations will safer if they: Plan carefully, put emergency procedures in place and practice emergency drills for emergencies of all kinds on a regular basis.
The Norwalk Health Department (NHD) is looking for you, our "private sector" and "corporate" partners, to make sure that you, too, are preparing and planning. Similarly the NHD is in need of volunteers to help us protect our residents in the event of a large-scale public health emergency. We need clinicians, non-clinicians and people that can help distribute and collect forms, etc. To become a member of the NHD Public Health Emergency Response Team, please contact Bill Mooney at: (203) 854-7771, or visit NorwalkHealthDepartment.org for additional volunteer information.
This information is courtesy of READY.gov, which is a common sense framework designed to launch a process of learning about citizen preparedness. One of the primary mandates of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is to educate the public on a continuing basis, about how to be prepared in the event of a national emergency -including a possible terrorist attack. Visit READY.gov for more information!
Be Informed
This specific industry, size and scope of your individual company will determine your organization's risk assessment needs.
- Know what kinds of emergencies might affect your company both internally and externally. Find out which natural disasters are most common in the areas where you operate.
- Learn about what to do during a biological, chemical, explosive, nuclear or radiological attack.
Be Prepared
Your employees and co-workers are your business's most important and valuable asset. There are some procedures you can put in place before and after a disaster. It is possible that your staff will need time to ensure the well being of their family members, but getting back to work is important to the personal recovery of people who have experienced disasters. It is important to re-establish routines, when possible.
- Two-way communication is central before, during and after a disaster.
- Talk to co-workers with disabilities. If you have employees with disabilities ask about what assistance is needed.
- Frequently review and practice what you intend to do during and after an emergency with drills and exercises. This will help you find flaws and revise you plan.
What about securing facilities and buildings?
While there is no way to predict what will happen or what will become of you business's circumstances, there are thing you can do in advance to help protect your physical assets. There is information on READY.gov that references what your business can do for low or NO COST.
- Install Fire Extinguishers and Smoke Detectors in appropriate places.
- Post building and site maps with critical utility and emergency routes clearly marked.
- What about automatic fire sprinklers, alarm systems, closed circuit TVs, access control, security guards and/or other security systems?
- Store extra supplies, (materials and equipment) for use in an emergency.
- Plan what you will do if your building, plant or store is not accessible.
- Consider developing 'countenance of operations plan' (COOP)
- Talk to your insurance provider about what impact any of these steps my have on your policy.
BE READY!! Promote individual and family preparedness
Re-establishing routines, including getting back to work, is important to the well being of people who have experienced disasters. If individuals and families are prepared, you company and your co-workers are better positioned in an emergency situation.
- Encourage your employees and their families to: Get a Kit, Make a Plan and Be Informed.
- Print out and distribute copies of Preparing Makes Sense, brochures for your workers -contact Bill Mooney at the NHD for materials we have available for distribution at: (203) 854-7771.
- Include emergency preparedness information in newsletters, on company intranet, periodic employee emails and other internal communication tools.
- Consider how workers will communicate with family members in case they are separated from one another or injured.
Take some time to stay informed about how to react to even unlikely scenarios.
You should be prepared to adapt this information to your personal circumstances and be READY to make every effort to follow instructions received from authorities on the scene. For the most current information and recommendations, check back frequently or call: 1-800-BE-READY (1-800-237-3239) or: TTY# 1-800-464-6161 for a free brochure.
For more information please visit the following websites.
www.redcross.org
www.fema.gov
www.dhs.gov
www.ready.gov
www.dph.state.ct.us
www.cdc.gov
Preparing makes good business sense. Get ready now and be prepared!
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