Management
Management
Planning for emergencies is a vital part of any organization’s risk management endeavors. The preparation for emergencies can reduce the effects of unexpected events thereby ensuring minimal interruption of daily operations. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the plans, the planning as well as the finalized plans should be communicated to the staff and all parties attached to the particular organization. It is essential to identify various elements of an emergency plan that can be embraced by a non-profit organization to cushion themselves in the event of a fire.
The organization can invest in building safety features. Fire sprinklers should be installed in designated locations within and outside the building. A loud high pitched fire alarm set to ring thrice followed by a pause and flashing lights may be installed. Any ringing of this kind should indicate that smoke detectors and water flow switches have been activated. The alarm and lights should remain on until any fire risk has been identified. If the alarm goes off, everyone should assume the presence of an emergency unless otherwise notified.
The organization should also set an evacuation assembly area. Specific information about the area should be outlined in the emergency planning action program. It should also give specific directives to be followed to reach the evacuation area. The evacuation should be an unhurried movement of people from the risk area to the designated assembly area. Prior to the evacuation, the first signs should be reported to the emergency officer. Portable fire extinguishers may be used if the fire can be controlled easily. The organization should set several exits because to ease evacuation and entry of the fire department. Due to the high risk of fire, the organization should train all staff on tactics of covering up the nose to avoid suffocation. They may also invest in protective clothing.
Several evacuation teams may be formed whose mandate, apart from assisting in evacuating people, performs head counts to identify any cases of missing staff. Evacuation wardens should know the location of all fire equipment in their respective areas of responsibility. They should know the use of all fire equipment, be familiar with the building arrangement, the number of occupants per floor and the locations of all exits. The wardens should also have an updated list of all disabled persons who need immediate assistance. The wardens should also ensure that the fire equipment is checked regularly by the fire department officials for any defects.
There should also be a fire emergency first aid team. The organization should procure necessary first aid equipment and ensure that every room in all the floors has the contacts of the first aid team. The team will be mandated with summoning the medical emergencies response team to the fire scene. The response team should be furnished with the details of the location of the incident, nature and extent of the emergency, number of victims and areas involved. All employees should not leave the site until verification for injured and non-injured persons has been done. The organization should have an off-site location to back up their files and also have alternate working space.
It is evident that if any emergency occurs, effective communication is vital in the response and recovery process. Failure to plan in advance may hamper communication resulting to serious fatalities. It is also vital for organizations to invest in fire equipment and response teams. The fire emergency plan should be reviewed and updated regularly to accommodate issues such as staff turnover or changes in the structure of the organization. Nonprofit organizations that prepare for such emergencies can resume operations almost immediately to the fulfillment of all stakeholders.
