Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DEVELOP AN EMERGENCY PLAN
How can an appropriate plan be created? The first step is to conduct a
risk assessment of the facility, weighing such factors as location, political
instability, level of terrorist activity, nature of the business, size, number of
employees, and degree of facility control. Once an accurate assessment has
been prepared by an experienced professional, the plan may be created.
The accurate assessment is crucial because the emergency plan must clearly
define which action should be undertaken in response to a specific attack
or threat. Besides our own company, Global Security Group, LLC, several
other very good companies provide this type of service. For American
businesses abroad, subject to availability of personnel, the diplomatic secu-
rity service will provide additional guidance during the assessment phase.
Once the emergency situations have been defined, work on the plan
may begin. For each potential emergency, criteria for initiating an emer-
gency protocol must be established. These criteria obviously include
actual emergencies as well as the threat of a potential emergency. Credi-
ble information — such as phone threats; intelligence information; sus-
picious mail; package, item, car, or other object near the facility— may
trigger the emergency plan. The emergency plan also must be prepared
with the assistance of experienced security personnel. Again, several very
good consulting firms provide this service. The security consultant will
enlist the cooperation and input from the necessary corporate depart-
ments and individuals.
A point that needs mentioning is that the emergency plan must be
prepared in such a way that it is easy for all employees to understand.
After the attacks on September 11, CNN broadcaster Jack Cafferty dis-
cussed on air the Emergency Response Plan that was prepared for the net-
work by a security consulting company. Cafferty held up the handsomely
bound emergency response topic and lamented that he couldn't under-
stand what needed to be done in the event of an emergency. Furthermore,
no one at CNN made any attempt to explain the security measures to
CNN personnel. Nor had any drills been scheduled to practice the meas-
ures specified in the report. It is critical that the emergency plan be very
clear and understandable by every employee. Remember that cognitive
ability— that is, the ability to think — is severely impacted during a crisis.
Recall our discussion in Chapter 2 regarding these effects, such as tachy-
psychia, cognitive dissonance, and auditory exclusion. Clarity in the plan
will go a long way toward limiting general confusion when these effects
