Your Nearest Exit May Be Behind You

Emergency Planning. Nobody wants to think about what might happen at an event (especially if you’re the one responsible!). Afraid you might jinx yourself if you start thinking about it? Wrong! If you don’t prepare for a myriad of situations, Murphy will make sure you have to think on your toes. If you are prepared, when something does happen, you’ll have thought through your actions now while you’re not in crisis mode.

When creating an Emergency Plan, here are come components to consider including:

• Venue-Specific items such as evacuation maps, AED and fire extinguisher location diagrams, venue protocols and emergency response scenarios, directions for how to contact local emergency services and security personnel, etc.
• Event-Specific items such as host organization main contact and list of key stakeholders, host protocols and procedures, risk assessment and responses, media and communication plans and scripts, contingency plans, etc.
• Location-Specific items like addresses and directions to the nearest police station, fire station, 24-hour medical treatment facility or walk-in clinic, hospital, and pharmacy.
• Basic medical instructions for CPR, first-aid, choking, and stop-the-bleeding.
• And since 2020, some ever-evolving form of Covid-19 health and safety standards, sanitation and disinfecting protocols, and the current local, state, and federal rules and regulations in force as applicable.*

All staff and/or volunteers should have a basic understanding of the Emergency Plan and know where to find the information to reference if needed. The venue will be the best source of documentation and is your partner in a crisis.

It is worth taking the time to create a thorough Emergency Plan at the onset of event planning. There are several helpful resources and websites available so you should not have to start from scratch or reinvent the wheel. If you would like to talk about the contents or outline for my Emergency Plan, send me an email and let’s et up some time to talk.

What’s in your Emergency Plan? Share it here or send me an email. I’d love to know.

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*Tracy is a Certified Pandemic Compliance Advisor by the Events Industry Council. Email Tracy if this is an area in which your organization could use additional information.