Building Resilience

Disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires, as well as crises such as industrial accidents or terrorist attacks, pose a threat to assets and to the well-being of employees, visitors, occupants and customers. All organizations must prioritize emergency preparedness to minimize risks, protect occupants and users, and ensure speedy recovery.

In most cases, FMs are directly responsible for planning, coordinating and executing the activities that protect lives and property in line with the organizational mission. They ensure readiness, coordinate with stakeholders, communicate and guide recovery efforts that determine how quickly an organization and its facility returns to normal operations.

Emergency preparedness and crisis management are not just operational exercises but a strategic and essential aspect in modern facilities. Effective emergency management involves risk assessment, proactive planning, regular training, communication strategy, and the use of advanced tools and technologies.

Understanding emergency preparedness in FM

Emergency preparedness is the strategies and practices designed to equip operational teams to prepare their facilities for various emergencies.

In health, safety and environment (HSE), emergency preparedness is vital because it aims to protect lives, safeguard property/assets and ensure business continuity. Emergency preparedness involves training and planning for the specific risks linked to different facilities.

Emergencies can be categorized into three forms, which are natural, technological and human-caused.

Natural disasters

This includes earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, landslides and wildfires, which can be caused by weather and climate events or geological activity. These disasters can result in loss of life, economic damage or long-term environmental change, which can have devastating effects on facilities and operations.

Technological disasters

A technological disaster is an event that results in significant harm to people, property or the environment due to the failure or malfunction of technological systems or processes. These disasters can arise from accidents involving industrial operations, infrastructure failures or the unintended consequences of new technologies. Examples of technological disasters include gas leaks, pipeline explosions, dam failures, pollution, industrial accidents, maritime and aviation accidents, among others.

Human-caused emergencies

This includes workplace violence, theft or terrorism, which pose a significant risk to operations. Such a disaster can either be an intentional or accidental occurrence, but caused by human actions, inactions or neglect.

For FMs, emergency preparedness begins with hazard identification and risk assessment. Hazard identification and risk assessments are simply how hazards are identified and evaluated for the associated risks they pose. Many organizations see emergency preparedness as merely a compliance requirement, but this should be approached as a strategic business continuity function that determines an organization’s resilience and long-term sustainability.

Crisis management framework for facilities

Crisis management focuses on how emergencies are handled and mitigate impact on the organization and if necessary, its community. To secure personnel safety, minimize damage and expedite return to normal operations, FMs must be adequately prepared to respond swiftly and efficiently to crises.

A crisis management framework offers organizations a well-structured approach to prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptive events. The stages of crisis management delivers a clear roadmap for how organizations can anticipate, address and learn from disruptive events. With the understanding of each stage of crisis management, organizations remain resilient and better prepared for future challenges.

Stage 1: Prevention

Prevention focuses on identifying, reducing and possibly eliminating potential risks before they occur. This includes conducting both risk and asset/facility condition assessments, implementing cybersecurity controls, and fire and life safety codes. Preventive actions help FMs reduce incident severity or avoid crises entirely.

Stage 2: Preparedness

Preparedness involves building a comprehensive crisis plan, training and ensuring relevant resources are in place. FMs must develop emergency action plans that address different scenarios. This includes coordinating frameworks and linking them with relevant departments within the organization, with rapid communication channels. Evacuation plans or routes, muster points and shelter-in-place locations should all be available to building occupants. Fire and evacuation drills, fire wardens training are all essential for building awareness, confidence and competence.

Stage 3: Response

In the event of an emergency, taking immediate action to protect employees, stabilize operations, and ensure the speed and clarity of effective communication is critical. A well-prepared team responds to an emergency with precision, minimizing panic, injury and damage to property.

The response phase requires a command structure, which identifies who leads, who communicates and who supports. It also requires assessment of threats, activation of alarms, activation of suppression systems, emergency shutdowns, guiding staff and visitors to safety, and managing communication with first responders and senior leadership.

Stage 4: Recovery

Recovery focuses on restoring normal operations, seeing to the reputational impact and ensuring business continuity. This includes evaluating the extent of damage, communication with insurers, cleaning and repairing, replacing damaged assets, and supporting staff through trauma or disruption. A well-coordinated recovery period minimizes operational downtime.

Stage 5: Learning

It is important to review the crisis event, identify mistakes made and the strategies that were deployed, as this will allow the FM team to identify areas to improve operations by updating strategies to strengthen future readiness. This continuous improvement will allow the organization to evolve and become better and more prepared with each experience.

Following these crisis management stages, an organization can navigate the crisis management process, ensuring long-term resilience and growth, not just survival.

Essential components of an emergency preparedness plan

1. Emergency action plan (EAP)

This action plan must address multiple emergency types and procedures. It must indicate the contact lists, individual or departmental roles during an emergency, office layout or map, evacuation plans and shelter-in-place procedures.

Evacuation plans & routes

Evacuation plans are procedures for the safe exit of a facility during emergencies. Evacuation routes identify the exact paths to follow, exit locations and staging points during an evacuation. This should be added to the emergency action plan to ensure staff and visitors move safely and quickly away from the building or emergency area.

Shelter-in-place

This is a temporary safety directive wherein people are instructed to stay inside the facility because the outside is presumed to be harmful. Shelter-in-place procedures detail how one can secure oneself within a facility during an emergency and identify safe areas within the facility.

EAPs should be reviewed annually or after a major change within the facility.

2. Communication plan

Effective communication is a fundamental component of an emergency preparedness plan, which influences the success of emergency management efforts. Communication during an emergency involves disseminating needed information quickly and clearly to all individuals or relevant departments, both internal departments and external agencies.

The communication plan outlines the methods and channels for conveying information before, during and after an emergency so that stakeholders, employees, emergency responders and local authorities receive timely and accurate information. Communicating the correct information to the relevant people and teams can reduce confusion and panic.

3. Resource management & allocation

Resource management and allocation focuses on ensuring necessary personnel, resources and equipment are secured and correctly used during an emergency. Regular inventory and replenishment of emergency supplies and equipment ensures that these resources are always available, accessible and ready to use when needed.

Simple emergency supplies and equipment include a first aid kit, water, a working fire extinguisher, emergency lighting and communication devices. Correct resource allocation can significantly impact response efforts and emergency support recovery. Understanding the unique strengths and limitations of these resources will allow organizations to prioritize and allocate the resources effectively.

4. Training & drills

An emergency preparation plan includes regular training and routine drills. Training instills familiarity with emergency plans and procedures, which allows individuals to understand their roles within the response framework.

Drills simulate practical emergencies, which will allow individuals and teams to practice their responses in a controlled environment and identify areas for plan improvement. Conducting regular drills for different scenarios ensures that the emergency response is effective and well-coordinated.

FM’s leadership role

FMs are more than operational overseers; they are crisis leaders. A skillful and confident leader can significantly influence the overall outcome of an emergency. Knowledge of the building, its systems and available resources, and skills in crisis management equip FMs to effectively guide staff and visitors toward safety during emergencies.

FMs are saddled with responsibility, and in emergencies, this includes implementing EAPs, managing emergency equipment and supplies, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, managing communication with staff, executives and responders, and making real-time critical decisions.

During an emergency, the FM must stay calm, organized and focused on the safety of staff and the continuity of operations.

Challenges in emergency preparedness

Effective emergency preparedness can be hindered by:

• inadequate funding – this leads to a shortage of emergency supplies and equipment, which also includes limiting investments in safety upgrades.

• inadequate training – staff or emergency personnel will not know what to do or when, along with relevant technical expertise.

• poor coordination – lack of adequate coordination or insufficient communication between agencies and departments hinders effective emergency preparedness.

Conclusion

Emergency preparedness should not be optional; it is a responsibility that focuses on protecting lives, assets, and organizational and operational continuity.

The world is filled with unpredictable threats, and FMs must evolve from operational responders to strategic leaders. By investing in prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and learning, FMs can transform their facilities into safe, resilient environments that can withstand various challenges.