Are you in the 25% or the 75% Business Continuity Disaster Preparedness list?
According to the Institute for Business and Home Safety, one in four businesses that must close due to a hurricane NEVER reopen. That is a terrible hardship not only on the business owner but also on the community in which the business served. If there were employees then the devastation for the business employees’ families will be hard felt as well.
Study after study state that if you have even the most basic of emergency preparedness plans then the chances grow tremendously that your business will not only survive but that you will have both loyal employees AND loyal customers for years to come. Most people think that disaster preparedness is extremely expensive.
The most expensive thing about emergency preparedness
is NOT being disaster prepared.
Emergency preparedness kits don’t have to be fancy or expensive. Much of the emergency preparedness necessities can be found around the house or at the local grocery store and dollar stores can establish low cost emergency survival kits for you and your staff. Going to yard sales and flea markets can drastically reduce the cost of emergency preparedness kits.
Have a contest within the business to see who can create the least expensive, best use of resources low cost emergency preparedness kit for the office and home. Then give a gift certificate for lunch at a nearby sandwich shop as a prize.
Write up a press release and send it to the local news paper describing the company’s emergency preparedness kit contest and describing all the winners (everyone who has a disaster kit is a winner when an emergency situation occurs!). Make sure that all have the emergency preparedness necessities. Have a picture taken that can be submitted to the newspaper with all your staff displaying their disaster kits.
Many of the staff will enjoy getting their picture taken and will have extra pride in showing off their accomplishment of their emergency preparedness kits. Post the pictures in both the lobby of your business for your customers to see. This will encourage and inspire customers to develop their own disaster kits.
Also have a copy of the pictures in the employee lounge etc. Celebrate all employees that take disaster preparedness seriously. Remember the more your employees are disaster prepared not only at work but at home, school and play, the more likely these well trained employees will be able to quickly return to work at your business and help ensure business continuity and reduce new employee costs!
You can even send out a fact sheet in with your billing statements telling of the employee accomplishments and how reasonable they aware able to develop their own low cost emergency survival kits. Each month send out another employee’s account of what they stocked their emergency preparedness kits with and how they reduced the costs. Then just before hurricane season say in March – April - May have a customer hurricane preparedness contest and then put it on your website.
Host a reception with light refreshments and invite the local emergency service community to come and share their information with all the customers who have developed their own emergency preparedness checklists, disaster plans etc. Pass out disaster preparedness information to the local community. Often with amble notice the emergency response agencies and organizations will arrange to bring some of their supplies and equipment. Many in the community will enjoy seeing the emergency equipment (especially kids and the ‘kids –at-heart).
By having the reception and emergency preparedness awareness program, many in your community will be better educated on emergency preparedness as well as you and your company’s efforts. Good will is the best gift the business owner can give. Over time with effort on your part and sincere dedication to making your community safer, you and your company will be well identified as an emergency preparedness community expert and disaster preparedness information resource. Being such a leader in the community is a great honor, responsibility and opportunity.
Tell the local community upfront that should there ever be a disaster YOU and YOUR COMPANY are dedicated to recovering quickly and helping the local community in times of need. The goodwill this will establish for your company will be enormous.
Oh don’t forget to invite the media. Remember to not only include the local media but be bold and invite all the national news networks as well. Also get a news release sent out on PR Wire (www.prwire.com). This can be a great way to help promote your company’s efforts for emergency preparedness of the local community and businesses as well. You also might want to contact the Small Business Development center in your area to see if they would be interested in helping to promote your efforts.
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Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.
All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.
Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!
Terrie
Chamber's officials urge local businesses to set disaster plans
http://www.rockportpilot.com/articles/2008/06/18/business/business00.txt
One out of every four businesses which close because of a disaster never reopen, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), but with a disaster protection and recovery plan in place, business owners stand a much better chance of having business continuity.
The Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a contest to encourage area business owners to be prepared during the current hurricane season. The first business to turn in its completed “Open for Business Tool Kit” will receive a prize at the Chamber board of directors' Tuesday, July 15 meeting.
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The deadline to turn in a completed plan is Monday, July 7.
One can download a copy of the 76-page Open for Business Tool Kit at www.disastersafety.org or call 1-866-657-4247 to request your free copy.
The tool kit provides the framework to help prioritize critical business functions and organize information needed to continue operating from a remote location.
According to IBHS documentation, contingency planning is a core part of running any successful business. Failing to plan is placing an unnecessary bet on the survival of your business.
Disasters don't have to be caused by catastrophic events. Widespread power outages, water main breaks, and fires also can effectively shut down a company for a long period, sometimes months, costing thousands of dollars in lost business. Some or all of that business may never return.
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That is why business owners are encouraged to resolve to be better prepared for the 2008 hurricane season by putting together a disaster plan.
The top five business continuity planning steps are:
€ Make two copies of important documents and store them in separate locations. These should include lease papers, photographs of property and lists of inventory.
€ Update contact information for employees, key suppliers and customers, and local utility companies.
€ Consider an alternate location from which to do business if a disaster were to force you to relocate.
€ Review plans with employees and make sure they know how to reach their immediate supervisor in an emergency.
€ Assess current insurance needs with your agent and update their contact information, including emergency hotlines.
IBHS, a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry, works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other property losses by conducting research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices.
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