What Can You Do Today?
Steps To Preparedness
1. Assess your risk – both internally and externally.
2. Assess your critical business functions.
3. Prepare your supply chain.
4. Back-up your data.
5. Create an emergency management plan.
6. Create a crisis communications plan.
7. Assemble emergency supplies.
8. Plan for an alternate location.
9. Review your insurance coverage.
10. Test your plan.
1. Assess Your Risk – Internally & Externally
• What types of emergencies have
occurred in the past?
• What could happen as a result of
your facility location(s)?
• What types of emergencies could
result from the design or
construction of your facilities?
• What could result from a process or
system failure?
• Will you be affected if your neighbor
is hit by a disaster?
2. Assess Your Critical Business Functions
• What functions are critical to the
day-to-day operations?
› HR, Operations, Management,
Finance, Accounting, Sales
• What employees are essential?
• How long can you withstand an
interruption to those critical
functions?
› 0-24 hrs, 24-48 hrs, 48-72 hrs
2. Assess Your Critical Functions (cont.)
• Identifying critical functions is integral in resuming operations
following a disaster.
• GOAL: identify all resources and personnel required to restore
critical functions during a recovery
• Typically, critical functions are those that:
1. are most sensitive to downtime;
2. fulfill legal or financial obligations to maintain cash flow;
3. play a key role in maintaining your entity’s public image
and trust; and/or
4. safeguard an irreplaceable asset.
3. Prepare Your Supply Chain
• Talk to your key vendors and
suppliers about their recovery
plans.
› Ask yourself has it been tested?
• Develop relationships with
alternate vendors.
› Eliminate single points of failure.
• Educate employees & staff
about the importance of
preparedness.
• Insure what can’t be protected.
4. Back-Up Your Data
• Automated.
• Daily back-ups.
• Store in off-site, secure
location.
• Test plan regularly.
• Regional footprint.
5. Create An Emergency Management Plan
• Program designed to effectively and efficiently respond to
an event, minimize the impact, protect and reassure your
stakeholders and prepare for recovery
• Plan for what to do after a disaster
• Facilitates transition between normal operations and
catastrophe response
• Lessons learned:
– Having access to information necessary to make
important decisions and getting information to the
right people are equally important
• Includes:
– Notification and management of employees, staff,
clients, vendors, suppliers and the media
6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan
• Develop a process to make sure all stakeholders (internal and
external) are aware of decisions and expectations.
• Ensure redundancies independent of cell or terrestrial
networks as much as possible
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24-hour phone tree
Password protected web page (centralized emergency status)
Previously Established Radio/TV/Print News Partners
Call-in recording system
E-Mail Alert System
Text/Data Alert system
• Manage member and key vendor/partner communications.
• Prepare a media communications plan.
• Consider all your different audiences:
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Employees
Stakeholders
Clients
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Community
Media
Competitors
6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)
Starting Simple:
Emergency Contact List
Create an Emergency contact list that
includes:
• Home Phone
• Alternate Mobile
• Personal E-mail
• Family Contact Information
• Evacuation Plan
• Store Remotely for Easy Access
Setup Alert Notifications Program
• Explain Purpose
• Test Regularly
• Update regularly with any CHANGES
to your organization
• Train New Hires
6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)
Online Communications:
Social Media
• Post real-time status updates
• Direct public/employees to
alternate locations
• Provide emergency contact
information & instructions
• Allows easy transference of
information to other
audiences
• User-Friendly, Searchable,
universal applicability, stable
platform
6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)
Online Presence:
Your Website
• Do you have access to your Web
Site during an interruption? (remote
access)
• Consider hosting your website at an
alternate location (offsite).
• Post critical information on Home &
Contact pages.
• Provide employees, vendors, clients
and business partners with timely
information about your organization
during a crisis
• Ensure your site has contingencies
for any potential SPIKE in traffic
during emergency events
6. Create a Crisis Communication Plan (cont.)
EXTERNAL Communications Strategy
• Establish a Crisis Communications
Team
• Identify Spokesperson(s) &
prioritization
• Train your Spokesperson(s) on
the intricacies and best practices
of communicating with the media
• Ensure all Employees KNOW
who the Spokesperson is
7. Assemble Emergency Supplies
Employee Emergency Kits
• An emergency or disaster recovery kit should contain:
• Fresh water, Non-perishable food, Flashlights
• Extra batteries, Battery-powered AM/FM or NOAA radio
• First aid kit, Copies of important documents and records
• For a complete list of items, visit www.Ready.gov.
www.redcross.org
Workplace Recovery Kit
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CASH
Recovery plan
Hand Crank or Solar Chargers for Cell Phones
Important records (Insurance policies, Fixed asset inventory, Contracts)
Operating system install disks, Licensing keys, Passwords
Letterhead
Office Supplies:
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Stamps, Writing Utensils, Stapler/Staples, Tape
Printer Paper, Calculators
8. Plan For An Alternate Location
• Mobile Recovery
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Delivered to a specific location.
Ideal for small to medium sized business.
High level of flexibility.
Cost effective solution.
• Hotsite Recovery
› Permanent, regional facility.
› First come, first served at time of disaster.
• Other Alternatives
› Reciprocal
› Internal
9. Review Your Insurance Coverage
• Assure you are insured for all potential risks.
• Consider business interruption insurance and added
expense insurance.
• Keep photos of your building, equipment lists and
policy information stored in a safe and secure
offsite location.
• Asset management program.
10. Exercise Your Plan
• Do an annual exercise and
update the plan as necessary.
• There is no pass or fail.
• Make sure to re-educate
employees when any changes
to the plan are made.
• Testing is a process not just a
project.
Questions
Kevin Binder
kevin.binder@agilityrecovery.com
978-505-7502