With September being National Preparedness Month, and with so many recent disasters fresh in our minds, we thought compiling a list of good planning resources would help property/facility teams ensure their emergency response plans are up to all the challenges.

For individuals and families, both the Red Cross and Homeland Security offer a wide array of planning resources.  DHS’s Ready.gov site including sections devoted to children, seniors, persons with disabilities, pets, financial preparedness, and many other topics. The site also provides good background and basic response procedures for a wide range of specific hazards/disasters.

For businesses, commercial office buildings, and apartments, two excellent starting resources are:

1) 2012 BOMA Emergency Preparedness Guidebook

2) National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Guidelines to Developing Emergency Action Plans for All-Hazard Emergencies in High-Rise Office Buildings. They also have a guide for high-rise apartment or condo buildings.

Both take a comprehensive approach to emergency response planning and training and provide a wealth of important considerations. DHS also publishes a range of business-specific considerations and tools at its Ready.gov site.

Businesses should also check with their state and local offices of emergency management as well as their local fire department, many of which publish helpful tips as well as details about local planning and training requirements.

Beyond these general resources, there are hundreds of online publications addressing specific disasters, such as DHS’s resources for active shooter events, NOAA’s Hurricane Awareness site, and many more.

Have specific questions about your business? Contact us directly here.