Our friends across the pacific are today taking part in a National PrepareAthon Day with a simple yet poignant motto: Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today.
Run by the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA), the day is the climax of America’s National Preparedness Month, held every September.
The Aim: to increase the preparedness and resilience of families and businesses against critical incidents and natural disasters.
The Method: host hazard-specific group discussions, drills and exercises supported by easy-to-implement guides, checklists, and resources. This is matched by an extensive awareness campaign of the importance of being prepared.
The Message: throughout all of their material, FEMA’s message is simple, at the very least, every family and small business should follow these four steps:
Create an emergency communications plan: Collect the information you need, decide your emergency meeting place, share your important information and contact details with your family or team, and practice your plan.
Sign up for local text alerts and warnings: Learn how to sign up for local alerts and emergency or weather apps that are relevant to the hazards that affect your area.
Gather important documents and keep them in a safe place: Have all of your personal, medical, and legal papers in one place, so you can evacuate without worrying about gathering critical documents at the last minute.
Create an emergency supply kit
FEMA has a host of resources that will help you prepare the above.
In Australia, the government has developed the Emergency Alert website that explains the national telephone warning system, and provides links to further information, emergency services websites, and preparedness resources relevant to each state.
For families, being prepared may be the difference between life and death in an emergency. For Australian businesses, not only is staff and patron safety on the line but so is the business’ future.
Not everyone has the resources to mobilise a fully-functioning crisis or emergency management system – there are however some simple steps you can take to best prepare your business should the worst occur. FEMA’s four steps listed above are a good place to start.
At Briggs Communications, we’ve developed pre-written templates, flowcharts, and checklists – each personalised to the business and incident type. If you would like some help or advice on how your business could be better prepared, give one of our consultants a call today and they’ll take you through the initial steps.