Posted on 08/09/2008 7:01:10 PM PDT by Ronin
In my new job I have just been handed the task of putting together a disaster readiness plan that addresses everything from building evacuation, first aid, logistics, and everything else.
I got the job because for my sins, I am the only veteran in the company, and I was just a squid.
If anyone else out there has experience in this sort of thing, I would appreciate some help. I have to have something on paper by 0900 tomorrow morning.
The good news is I have (within reason) a blank check as to how to put it together and purchasing necessary supplies.
There are about 30 people in the company. The building is on the fifth floor. It’s a serious downtown area although there is a Temple close by where we can meet after evacuation.
Do an online search, you can find some reasonable examples to get you started. You don’t have enough time to do a real plan though.
I spent a year or so helping work on a project like this. We were more focused on disaster recovery than the immediate emergency itself, but there are a lot of templates online that set the foundation and you just fill in the specifics.
As far as general advice, don’t go down the path of trying to plan for specific scenarios, because there are too many (and by its very nature an emergency isn’t orderly). Instead focus on loss of various RESOURCES (which include people, equipment, infrastructure, power/water, data, etc).
I’m dismayed that they’d have a ‘gaijin’ try to set up a disaster preparedness plan.
Thanks, this will get me started.
If anyone has some practical experience and advise though, feel free to drop it in here. I have a pot of coffee on the boil and am going to be at the desk all day.
LOL, it’s a gaijin owned company. Great team. I am happy and proud not only to get the job but to be handed this responsibility. I want to do it right.
Get with the building owner/management. Your plan should be incorporated into theirs and coordinated with other tenant activities in the building so they don't end up being counterproductive.
Look at this search to form a evacuation plan:
http://www.google.com/search?&rls=en&q=evacuation+plan+%2B+multi-story&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
The first thing is to get the building off the fifth floor.
Check the monthly header on the Threat Matrix (at FreeRepublic.com) for other links.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/threatmatrix
Here is the header for August 2008 (Note: See links below the “key word”).
First identify what you have to protect, what your risks are, and then come up with alternatives to protect the assets for each risk area. You can usually lump the risks into categories. For example anything that makes the building unusable can be treated in a similar manner.
Also consider what the available resources are. Don’t forget to test it.
I see that you’re in Kichijouji. I heard that there used to be a Nathan’s there, but it shut down. Do you know of anywhere I can buy a so-called ‘cheesesteak’?
Link to USAF disaster prep plans.
Waited until the last minute, didn’t you? How complete of a plan do you need?
First, I would plan on multiple ways to exit the building including going down by rope.
What are the types of disasters you are most likely to see? Fire, floods, earthquakes, nut cases with guns?
Second, assign several people to be the last persons down, preferably someone young and athletic, assign a backup for EVERYBODY, and a backup for the backup. Their jobs is to make sure that ALL spaces, cubicles, storage closets, etc are clear and to carry anyone down that might be injured and unable to go down stairs. Make checklists on laminated paper.
Third, assign someone to take roll to see if everyone is there.
Fourth, find out if anyone has medical training. They are now the triage nurse and their job is to grab the medical kit (you do have a good first aid kit with tourniquets, serious wound packings, splints, gauze, etc, don’t you?). Look into getting some good first aid for everyone in the company.
Talk privately with the boss about designated defenders who will have quick access to a firearm at all times.
LOL! I agree! That is the appropriate starting point. If you can't do that all else is a waste.
Guide for anything and everything you want to know.
http://www.disaster-recovery-guide.com/
If you are willing to pay for an autogenerated plan, here’s one:
http://www.disaster-recovery-plan.com/plan.htm
Free Disaster Recovery Plan template from government...there is more , but you have to check each satate (US). This one is Canadian
http://www.ccep.ca/cceptemp.html
First response: figure out to evacuate the building. No elevators...what floors...can people jump to any other structure. Are there ladders people can use to climb down. Five floors is high, but not that high.
We were always given a gathering point so people would not have to waste time searching for people in the building. A checklist of all employees or people liable to be in the building.
Second: have fire extinguishers on hand.
Third: Have really decent first-aid on hand.
The first priority I see is survival. Which means that in Tokyo’s earthquake intensive environment, I have to get the people serious about getting their butts under their desks at the first sign of a quake. That’s going to be hard because Japanese and gaijin in Japan have become somewhat indifferent to the odd tremblor that rolls through the area.
The problem is, you never know how serious a quake is going to be until it’s over, and if they don’t get under the desk or take action immediately, it’s too late.
Shinjuku Gyoen park is two blocks away. If we can get there, fine, if not, we are going to have to camp out on the temple grounds — if the building is not structurally sound, that is. The problem is going to be protecting the assets we put together from people who have not prepared anything.
All the Nathan’s are shut down, alas. But COSTCO has Bryans Hot Dogs. The big puppies. Great stuff. I snarfed down four over the last two days.
I’m from the West Coast so I don’t know much about cheese steaks.
http://www.cert-la.com/EmergPrepBooklet.pdf
I think you want people away from the windows in a high rise...
All of that is good, except the firearms part. This is Japan and no guns (or very few) are in private hands. However, stun rods and pepper spray might be possible. Along with plastic ties for emergency handcuffs.
At home, I have a four-cell maglite and a fireax under my bed. My own personal protection plan has three exits from the third story building worked out. I also have first aid supplies, 10 kg of rice, a case of refried beans and 40 liters of water on hand.
"NFPA 1600: Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs."
That’s too bad. I’ll have to look around more, I guess. Btw, I’m from the west coast too, but my dad’s from Philly so I’ve got cheesesteaks in my blood.
Also, depending on which side of Shinjuku-gyoen you’re on, there’s a few stadiums and ballfields near by that might be a good evacuation spot.
It’s “temblor” NOT “tremblor.” Would hate to have somebody search on the wrong word.
I just read a book called The Unthinkable that you might be interested in.
I would guess that your work emergency plan would be to get everyone out of the building and to their homes to check loved ones. In a natural disaster, no one is going to want to hang around work. Make sure everyone has good walking shoes in case there is no transportation available.
Also, consider getting portable radios with a decent range because phones could be out or the circuits overloaded, maybe one that could communicate on a police frequency. A battery powered scanner tuned to police and fire department freqs would be nice to get some real info.
I am overcome with remorse and shame and shall lash myself severely with wet noodles at the earliest opportunity.
You must have authority to have your fellow employees practice getting out of the building etc. - - you'll need the backing of upper management. In a panic filled situation, you want as many people on automatic as possible. If they haven't practiced a plan - if it's just an intellectual abstraction, it'll be harder.
Believe it or not, we are stuck right in the middle of Ni-Chome. Great place for lunch, but you can bet I get out of the area as fast as I can when working hours is over.
On the good side, Marunouchi line runs right under the building, so that I think has a stabilizing effect. On the bad side, the subways will definitely be out, and a lot of people are simply going to freak.
Keeping the airheads under control is going to be a problem, but on the other hand, they’re free citizens. If they want to freak out and try to get home, I can’t stop them. I will, however, be responsible for anyone who wants to stay with the company group.
The boss has promised me that. He’s already been laying in a bunch of supplies, but they are all jumbled together in the supply room. This is something he has wanted to do himself, but is just too busy to handle. He gave it to me because I am a military vet and he thinks that vets walk on water.
bookmark
Also, you DO have all your company’s computer data stored off site in a secure location, don’t you?
You’re in Shinjuku-nichoume ... what kind of gaijin owned business is this? Just kidding!
In that case, Shinjuku-gyoen seems like a very good spot for evacuations. The only problems being that it’s a little ways to walk, and that admission is 300 yen per person.
Ping
[PDF]
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML In the USA, there are FEMA and SBA (federal dept of Small Business Administration) prorgams in place to assist poor saps such as yourself who are coming into disaster preparedness without a background in contingency management.
development and implementation of your own Disaster Plan. HELPFUL AGENCIES ... FEMA TELE-REGISTRATION HOT LINE. 1-800-621-FEMA. SOUTHAMPTON TOWN ...
www.town.southampton.ny.us/DeptDirectorygallery/emergency_prep/business_emergency.pdf -
Having put these to paper for companies, universities and small cities, I can tell you that there is no way one inexperienced person can slap this together by 0900 tomorrow even for a small company. It will be impossible to cut and paste from other sources anything complete enough that will be usable for your specific facilities. I also don’t see how you can cover all the potential disaster scenarios in the time allowed. Each one needs a different SOP. You make it sound like there is only one SOP, but that is not the case. Sounds like the bosses gave you a task that they know you will fail at. I would work toward a very complete outline for each potential disaster and an overall budget, then ask for more time to flesh out the details. A disaster plan for a small company can run upwards of several hundred pages for an industrial facility or one that has biohazardous material on site.
Also, how large is your corporation?
some websites:
http://www.fema.gov/business/guide/index.shtm
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/prepared/
http://www.ibhs.org/business_protection/
http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/disasterpreparedness/index.html
http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html
I do volunteer work with the Red Cross, and part of our preparations has been to hook up with ham radio operators. They are able to provide communications when many other means.... (phone, fire, police) are not operable. Since there are many many hams, all with towers, they are unlikely to lose all communications, as can happen with police, who only have one or two towers. Our county ham group does a weekly net check in for disaster readiness. Once a month they use only emergency power.
Mr G (a ham) has gone to areas devastated by tornadoes and made contacts for people... sometimes police communications, sometimes family notifications that people are OK. A ham can contact another ham out of the affected area, who then phones the family. Also, hams can be in the affected area and relay info to emergency personnel, who cannot get to the area.
Every organization needs an “All Hazards” Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). Since you’ve got a very short time a good place to start is www.pandemicflu.gov and go to the link for business planning. Pandemic planning and readiness lends itself well to all sorts of disasters.
I don’t think parachutes will work from the fifth floor, so get everybody a jet pack. You did say you have a blank check, right?
I am getting a lot of great ideas from this thread and am very confident now that I can have something ready for him. Going to be heading down to Shinjuku in a few minutes to take a look at the building, even if I can't get inside today. Photographs, emergency exits, that sort of thing.
Avoid the Katrina/Blanco “scenario”. A good case study.
Don’t forget to implement a phone/text message emergency system. This way everyone gets informed of an emergency even if they are away from the business property. Plus you quickly find out who is not accounted for.
I don’t think they will be collecting entrance fees at the time, but if so We’ll pay it.
That’s on the list.
According to the boss, they had tasked some gal with putting that together a few months ago, but nothing happened with it. That’s the whole problem in the nutshell. A lot of the pieces are available, but no one has had the time to put them all together and make a functioning plan. I’m going to get it done.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.