Emergency Operations Plans

 

An employee complains of chest pains. A delivery truck backs into the gas meter, and a strong odor of gas invades the building. A “suspicious” package is found in the unattended lobby. Gunfire erupts in the shop area, and coworkers are fleeing. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued following an earlier tornado watch. Blocks away a group of protesters is growing larger. The power goes out on a bitterly cold day. Water is leaking through the ceiling of the server room.

Who is going to act? What actions should be taken to safeguard life and protect property? How quickly can they react? How effectively can they act? The actions taken in the critical initial minutes of an emergency often dictate the outcome.

An emergency operations plan that is risk-based, makes best use of available internal and external resources, and is executable by an organization with defined roles and responsibilities is essential.

Objectives, Priorities & Resources

The number one priority of emergency operations is to safeguard life. Other objectives include protection of property, the environment, and the organization’s reputation. Continuity of business operations benefits from effective emergency operations.

Priorities for emergency operations become apparent when conducting a risk assessment. Threats and hazards with high probability of occurrence or potential for significant impacts should be high on the list. The increasing frequency and severity of civil unrest, active shooter incidents, wildland fire, power outages, and severe weather warrants the need for enhanced planning.

Often overlooked when considering objectives and priorities is the availability and capabilities of internal and external resources. Are sufficient personnel with the required knowledge, skills, and abilities available during operational hours to respond to foreseeable threats? Are facilities protected with detection, alerting, warning, suppression, and life safety systems that have been designed, installed, and maintained in accordance with national standards? What are the capabilities of public emergency services, their knowledge of the facility and its hazards, and their response times? Answers to these questions will identify resource limitations that must be overcome for effective response to emergencies.

Planning for Emergencies

The emergency operations plan is a product of a process that includes understanding risk, the availability and capabilities of resources, and applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements. The risk assessment identifies threats and hazards that require protective actions. The resource needs assessment identifies the required personnel, competencies, systems, equipment, and supplies for response to the identified risks. The assessment also evaluates the availability and capabilities of resources and identifies limitations that must be overcome. Minimum requirements for emergency response are established by applicable Federal and state health, safety, and environmental regulations, state and local fire codes, and accreditation requirements (e.g., Joint Commission for health care facilities).

Together, the risk assessment, resource needs assessment, regulations, and accreditation requirements inform decisions about the functions of incident management teams and the actions they will take.

Download the Preparedness Bulletin "Emergency Operations Plans" to learn more about:

• Planning committee
• Regulations & standards
• Risk assessment & impact analysis
• Incident management team
• Alerting, warning, and communications 
• Incident management facilities 
• Emergency operations plan
• Concept of operations
• Incident management system
• Protective actions for life safety
• Threat or hazard-specific tactical plans
• Crisis communications
• Implementation, maintenance & continuous improvement

Protective Actions for Life Safety

There are many goals for a preparedness program—property protection, business resiliency, environmental protection, and protection of an organization’s brand, image and reputation. The first goal of a preparedness program should be the protection of life safety.

There are many hazards that could jeopardize life safety. Fires, severe weather, a spill or release of hazardous chemicals, an act of terrorism, or an act of violence in the workplace are just a few examples. Development of the preparedness program should include a risk assessment to identify possible hazards, their probabilities of occurrence, and the vulnerability of people, property, the environment, and the entity itself (NFPA 1600: 5.4).

The emergency operations/response plan should include actions to protect life safety from credible hazards identified during the risk assessment. Protective actions for life safety include:

• Evacuation
• Shelter-In-Place
• Lockdown

In this eNewsletter, we will explore the basics for each of these protective actions.

Download the eNewsletter in Adobe PDF format …

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OSHA proposes $233,500 in fines against Home Goods for exit hazards

OSHA proposed $233,500 in fines against Home Goods for exit access, fire and crushing hazards at its Commack, N.Y., store. Responding to an employee complaint, OSHA found exit routes that were too narrow for passage, blocked by stock and equipment, or hidden by stacks of material. Other hazards included blocked access to fire extinguishers, workers not trained in fire extinguisher use, and boxes stored in unstable 8-foot high tiers. OSHA had cited Home Goods in 2006 and 2007 for similar conditions at the company's Mount Olive, N.J., and Somers, N.Y., locations. “It's been 99 years since the fire at The Triangle Shirtwaist Co. in New York City took the lives of nearly 150 workers and almost 19 years since two workers were killed when they were unable to exit the McCrory’s store in Huntington Station, N.Y., during a fire,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. "Blocked fire exits can be deadly. It is that simple." For more information, read the OSHA news release.

Requirements for the number, capacity, marking, illumination, and arrangements for exits (also referred to as “means of egress”) are specified within building codes and the Life Safety Code®. Requirements for maintenance of means of egress and emerency planning are included in fire prevention codes.

OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910 Subpart E – Means of Egress (Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, and Fire Prevention Plans) prescribes requirements for exits. Section 1910.35 states:

“An employer who demonstrates compliance with the exit route provisions of NFPA 101-2000, the Life Safety Code®, will be deemed to be in compliance with the corresponding requirements in §§ 1910.34, 1910.36, and 1910.37.”

One of the fundamental aspects of an emergency response plan is the ability to safely evacuate occupants from a building. The ability to detect a threat or hazard, warn occupants, and then take protective action (e.g., evacuation, lockdown or shelter-in-place) is critical.

Review your emergency plan. Can you promptly detect an incident, warn occupants, and move everyone to safety? Take a look at the planning guidance on the “Resources” page of the Preparedness, LLC website for more information.