Emergency Preparedness for Facilities

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR FACILITIES:
A GUIDE TO SAFETY PLANNING AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY
by David Casavant
(Includes CD-ROM)

"What strikes me about the Emergency Preparedness for Facilities book is that it is both
comprehensive in the range of topics it covers and also extremely practical. It's no small trick
to do both. A facility executive can pick up the book and find background information on
emergencies ranging from avalanches to volcanos. Even more useful, the book provides
direct, real-world advice on what to do, step-by-step, throughout the process of preparing for
an emergency. Checklists, sample forms, sources for more information and the like round out
a truly user-friendly package. The book pulls together a wealth of information that will be a
real help to facility executives faced with the responsibility for developing emergency
response plans.”
- Edward Sullivan
Editor, Building Operating Management Magazine

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"Emergency Preparedness For Facilities is a must read for everyone responsible for safety
and emergency management. David Casavant has done a wonderful job gathering best
practices in the emergency planning industry and compiled it into a very easy to read
resource. The facility management industry has needed a resource like this and David
Casavant has really delivered!”
- Linda Monroe
Editor, Buildings Magazine

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Emergency Preparedness for Facilities handbook provides businesses with a strategic
guide to preparing for and recovering from any emergency or disaster.

A business survival “checklist,” this comprehensive new book provides step-by-step
instructions for developing prevention and response plans for all types of emergencies and
disasters. It helps safety professionals and risk managers create an organization-wide
emergency management plan that ensures that all procedures are in place and all equipment
and personnel needs are addressed so the company can respond to an emergency situation
quickly and instinctively. Readers will feel confident that their employees are trained and
prepared to put their plan into action and protect all workers, property, and the life of the
company in the face of any natural or non-natural emergency event.

Emergency Preparedness for Facilities identifies and examines nineteen natural and
non-natural emergencies - defined as anything that disrupts an organization - including power
outage, chemical spill, bomb threats, riots or demonstrations, workplace violence, fire,
drought, blizzard, or flood. Then the handbook provides two case studies for each emergency
event to emphasize and illustrate important emergency preparedness concepts, and
provides detailed instructions on what to do if faced with each emergency.

This book references and explains all relevant OSHA requirements, including the completion
of OSHA Forms 300, 301, and 300A after an accident. It includes a companion CD-ROM
that contains the forms and templates safety and risk professionals need to prepare for an
emergency and to create a complete emergency preparedness plan. An annual emergency
assessment form, emergency action plan template, post-event assessment form,
correspondence log, OSHA record-keeping forms, and more are included.

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EXCERPT FROM THE FOREWORD

“Where were you on September 11, 2001?

“Without a doubt, each of us will remember exactly where we were and what we were doing
on that fateful morning. I was in New York City conducting a two-day building management
seminar for American Management Association. On Monday, September 10, I opened the
seminar by giving a brief preview of the topics we would discuss during the next two days.
When I came to the subject of building security and disaster planning, I made my point by
saying:

“In this audience, you understand this threat better than most. In 1993, the World Trade
Center just down the block was bombed by terrorists. Trust me when I tell you-it will happen
again-and not only will the Trade Center be targeted, but a highly visible amusement park
such as Disney, or the Super Bowl, or the upcoming Olympics in Salt Lake City will be
targeted as well. Regarding terrorism, America has been on a short scholarship and that will
change. When it does, the way we do business will change forever.

“Sadly, the very next day these words became eerily prophetic. Of course, nobody could have
predicted the depth of the destruction and sorrow we witnessed that day. Indeed we have
been robbed of our innocence. Not only has our business changed but also our very lives and
the values we hold dear have been irreversibly altered.

“It is with this loss and the resulting concerns that I decided to author this book. Now more
than ever, planning for disasters is paramount. We have been exposed, even forced to
examine our own disaster planning and recovery plans, and typically, we don't like what we
find. Surprisingly, only a few resources on this subject exist, even fewer with realistic and
practical value.

“Understand, however, that terrorist activities represent a small number of disaster events
and are-thankfully-rare. More likely, you will be faced with storms, floods, hurricanes,
tornadoes, earthquakes, losses of utility, and other such events. This book has been created
to assist you and your organization in planning for and recovering from all events that fall into
the category of emergency or disaster.

“It is my sincere desire that this book provide you with the guidance you seek. Business
continuity, productivity, and-most importantly-human lives are at stake. We have a
responsibility to learn from past events, including those which occurred on September 11,
2001. In doing so, we can assure that the brave people who lost their lives did not die in vain.

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CONTENTS

1 UNDERSTANDING EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
Billion-Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters
The NOAA Weather Radio
Disaster Warning
FEMA’s Impact
The Disaster Aid Process and Programs

2 NATURAL EVENTS
Blizzards and Avalanches
Drought
Earthquakes
Fire
Floods
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Tsunamis
Volcanoes

3 NON-NATURAL EVENTS
Bomb Threat
Chemical and Biological Concerns
Chemical Spills and Contamination
Civil Disturbance and Demonstrations
Loss of Utility
Medical Emergencies
Nuclear Threat and Exposure
Structural Collapse
Workplace Violence
The Greatest Disaster that Never Happened

4 THE BASIC STAGES OF PLANNING
Where Do I Start?
Understanding the Costs Involved
The Mission Statement
Understanding Your Business
Understanding Your Property
Understanding Your Risk
Understanding Your Responsibilities

5 CREATING THE EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
The Emergency Management Team
Internal and External Support
Stocking Emergency Supplies
Blueprints and As-Builts
Critical Building Information
Pre-Planning and the Urban Search and Rescue Grid
Alarm Systems
Hot Sites, Cold Sites, and Contingency Centers
The Command Center
Off-site Storage
Lack of Electricity Doesn’t Mean “Go Home”

6 PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: TRAINING AND DRILLS
So You Have a Plan. Now What?
Rolling Out the Emergency Action Plan
Training the Emergency Action Team
Training the Employees
Fostering Employee Support and Enthusiasm
Getting Everybody Out Safely
Assisting Those with Special Needs
The Staging Area
The Chain of Command
A Special Note for Those Who Refuse to Participate
Getting Back to Work
After the Drill: Evaluating Performance
Basic First Aid and Medical Care

7 POST-EVENT RESTORATION
After the Event
Assessing the Damage
The Restoration Phase
The Command Center
The Emergency Account Number
Catering
Providing Sleeping Accommodations
Environmental Issues
Important Asbestos Definitions
Assisting Affected Employees
Don’t Forget about Safety
Now is Not the Time to Let Your Guard Down: Security
Monitoring Restoration Progress
Keeping the Lines of Communication Open

8 GUIDELINES FOR EMERGENCY MITIGATION
Design Guidelines
Windows and Doors: The Weakest Link
Protective Bollards, Planters, and Green Space
Virtual Reality Software and Related Technology
Post-failure Analysis
Building Codes
Building Performance Assessment Team

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVID CASAVANT is the president of Carlyle Consulting Group, a business consulting firm
specializing in emergency planning and business-continuity-and-transition management. He
is a member of the Building Owners and Management Association and the International
Facility Management Association. Mr. Casavant is a certified BOMI instructor and a featured
speaker for the American Management Association, Buildings Magazine, NeoCon, World
Workplace and the NFM&T Conference.

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2003, 308 pages plus CD-ROM. Order #DR706.
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4 Arapaho Rd.

Brookfield, CT 06804-3104 USA

1-888-ROTHSTEin; (888.768.4783)

Telephone: 203.740.7444; 888.768.4783

Fax: 203.740.7401

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