TRAINING

GENERAL

Trained personnel are essential for successful preparation and execution of department responsibilities during the emergency management process. Each phase of emergency management requires a specific category of training. There is a continuing requirement for pre-disaster training as well as for response and post-disaster training for each individual assigned a responsibility in any of the phases.

The goal of employee training and participation in exercises is to evaluate the operational readiness of the program while improving the ability of associated personnel to effectively respond and manage an emergency situation. The training philosophy, which supports the Emergency Response Plan strategy, is to provide emergency managers and support personnel with the skills necessary to perform in an emergency environment. Training and education activities will be conducted within the context of the Emergency Response Plan.

WHO SHOULD BE TRAINED

Everyone in the organization should be trained.

All team members who must carry out a plan during recovery periods must have undergone training in the same manner as a fire drill. This is to ensure that they are comfortable with their duties in the exercise of the plan.

Everyone who will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance and testing of the plans must be trained in the rationale and detail of the plans. This can best be done by conducting regular training courses to ensure that staff members understand the benefits of complete and correct plans.

Every other staff member in the company must be trained so that their know what their role will be. This will include evacuation and emergency response.

When your plan and training are both complete, everyone in the company should know what they are to do in an emergency.

SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL TRAINING

Corporate and emergency operating response personnel possessing particular skills, knowledge, and working ability will be trained for specific functions, according to the following Emergency Response Plan guidelines.

Each department or business unit will select and send personnel for training in the implementation of the Emergency Response Plan.

Emergency Response Plan personnel will incorporate their practical skills and working knowledge and level of expertise to the anticipated emergency situation in addition to their normal duties. Each employee should conduct Emergency Response Plan assignments within the adopted corporate policies with regard to safety.

Each department or business unit will be responsible for maintaining current standard operating procedures for its internal operations during an emergency or major disaster.

Sufficient emergency response training, as well as requalification training, should be adequately completed prior to any drill or exercise. The purpose of this training will not only be to familiarize key support personnel of their assigned duties, but should include a motivation for the process and its achievements.

Upon activation of the Emergency Command Center, the Command Coordinator will notify all applicable team coordinators who will either respond themselves, or have a trained alternate (with authority to commit the resources of the department) respond to the Command Coordinator.

Each team coordinator having responsibility for manning the ECC will make provisions to train staff for support of their operations at the ECC.

Each department or business unit will maintain a current, up-to-date emergency on-call roster of trained personnel and ensure that the Command Coordinator is given timely notice of revisions or changes to this roster.

TRAINING PHASES

Emergency Response Teams need training at four distinct phases of response plan development process: 1. pre-planning, 2. planning, 3. post-plan development, and 4. pre-exercise

On-going training and education is imperative for those individuals in an organization, who will be involved not only in the development and implementation of the business continuity plan, but also in exercising, evaluating, maintaining, and executing the plan.

A Framework For Training Response Teams

The framework for training Response Teams is premised on the need for on-going training during all relevant phases of business continuity planning.

• The response teams are developed based on the critical business functions identified during the business impact analysis. These teams include those which are held responsible for the continuity of critical business functions as well as recovery and resumption of critical support functions and vital records.
• The team members typically develop, implement, exercise, evaluate, and maintain the plan, and execute it if necessary. However, it also may be deemed necessary to include other employees of an organization as either additional team personnel based on plans and procedures, or as alternates in case primary team members are unavailable for plan execution.

Pre-Planning Training & Awareness

Training for selected and potential ER team members should begin from the very beginning of the project. At this stage, it is likely that the ER planner/coordinator has undergone formal, professional, and/or certification training. The knowledge that the planner has gained from this training must be transferred to ER team members in a manner that is relevant to the business unit’s core processes. Furthermore, the training should emphasize recovery elements. These elements include general overview of ER and how it relates and augments corporate policies and procedures, objectives and assumptions in ER, an overview of liabilities and regulations pertinent to the organization, business guidelines and an understanding of the core business processes. and a conceptual understanding of critical business functions, support technologies, and vital record requirements. These elements are essential foundations upon which all ER teams may begin to build business continuity plans.

Planning Methodology Training

Upon completion of the pre-planning awareness training and gaining commitment from the selected and potential ER team members, the training may now focus on specific procedural aspects of developing and implementing the ER. At this stage, the ER team members should be trained in the area of project management, which is essential for successful ER development. This phase of training should then proceed to ER development methodology selected for the organization, a review of documentation standards, and necessary training in software, if selected for developing the ER. The benefits from planning methodology training include:

• Adaptation of appropriate project management methodologies and tools, if any.
• Clear understanding of ER terminology throughout the organization.
• Utilization of an accepted methodology throughout the organization.
• Enforcement of documentation standards throughout the organization, and
• Software training, if necessary.

Plan Role & Responsibility

At this phase of training, the premise is that the ER has been developed and implemented. This means that the necessary teams have been established and team members have been identified, with approvals from senior and functional area management. The teams typically include the emergency management team, ER teams for business functions, and ER teams for support functions (such as facility team, data center team, telecommunications team, etc.). Alternate ER team members and support personnel are also identified at this stage. All of these individuals need training with regard to the provisions in the ER. Although we recognize that these team members have developed and implemented the plan, training is essential in order to gain an understanding of the plan from several perspectives. These include:

• The team members specific role and responsibilities in the execution of the plan;
• Interdependencies of individual units’ plans;
• On-going evaluation and maintenance of units’ ER; and
• A thorough understanding of the team checklists of procedures, including notification procedures.

The elements of this phase of training for the various ER teams include: role of team leaders and team members, including alternates, business continuity plan provisions (who, what, when, where, and how), notification procedures, ER event logging procedures, on-going ER evaluation and maintenance procedures, and post-execution review procedures.

Pre-Exercise Training

At this stage of training, all phases of ER have been completed and ER team members are well trained in their roles and responsibilities in the plan. The organization must recognize, however, that exercising the plan is essential for verification and validation of the strategies and procedures in the ER; after all, an untested plan is worth only the paper it is printed on. While exercising the plan, in its own merit, provides unique and valuable training for the ER team members, training must be provided with regard to the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of exercising the plan. After all, most ER team members may never have gone through an exercise of this type. Furthermore, the value of such exercises, with little or no direct productivity gains, must be demonstrated through formal and relevant education, in order to gain support from team members as well as management.

The elements of pre-exercise training include: testing methodology and scheduling, developing objectives of exercises and scenarios, plan modification and update procedures subsequent to and based on the results of the exercises, and auditing and evaluating the business continuity plan.

RESPONSE PROCEDURES TRAINING=

Employees must be taught how to respond properly in the event of an emergency. The following is a guide that can be used to assist you in training your employees.

Purpose

The purpose of this training is three fold.

• To make known the methods and practices that will ensure a safe, systematic, and orderly evacuation from any part of the building by the nearest safe means of exit in the least possible time.
• To encourage the use of provided emergency devices as deemed necessary during an emergency for the safeguarding of human life and the protection of property, equipment, and assets.
• To familiarize employees with procedures in order to effectively avoid the panic and irrational behavior associated with people caught in an emergency situation.

Building Accoutrements

To ensure a complete training program, it would be beneficial to explain the emergency safety features incorporated in the building’s design and/or structure (i.e. smoke/fire detection systems, sprinkler and other fire suppression systems, automated life-safety systems, etc.).

The Human Element

Despite all safeguards incorporated in a building’s structure, design, and provided emergency devices, one of the most important elements of any life-safety system is the building’s occupants. Employees are the human element, which ultimately determines personal safety. Personal safety is paramount in any crisis situation.

It is important that all employees are well informed concerning emergency procedures and the role they and others play in the safe, systematic, and orderly response to the unfortunate eventuality of an emergency. For this cause, the building must adopt written procedures for emergency response. Every desk and telephone should have written procedures readily available -- immediate emergency response is critical.

PRIMARY PROCEDURES FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE

This material is included here to aid in the development of your training programs.

Response to an emergency should include primary procedures that are applicable in any emergency situation: fire, bomb threat, natural disaster, medical emergency, etc.

These primary procedures for emergency response are basic. However, the importance is that they should be understood and followed by every employee in order to ensure a safe, systematic, and orderly response to an emergency.

They are:

• Do not panic - remain calm. Panic is one of the most contagious of all human emotions. Panic is defined as a “sudden, excessive, unreasoning, infectious terror.” Once a state of panic sets in, the potential for personal injury and death is dramatically increased.
• Know Emergency Reaction Team Members (ERT).
• Listen carefully and follow instructions.
• Know location/operation of emergency devices. (i.e.: alarm activators, fire extinguisher, emergency exits, etc., if applicable)
• Know evacuation routes & assembly points. At least 200 yards from an emergency site is required for an assembly point. Alternate assembly points should be available during inclement weather. •Assist disabled individuals.
• Do not use elevators - use stairwells. Only the right side of the stairwell should be used. This allows the Fire Department and ERT members access to the emergency floor.
• If time and safety factors permit, store vital records and negotiable instruments.

Fire Procedures

No workplace is immune to the threat of fire-- yet, fire safety is often taken for granted. The importance of fire safety in the work place cannot be over emphasized. When businesses and industries burn, tax dollars are lost, jobs are lost, and human potential is destroyed. State and/or local fire codes typically mandate some form of emergency and/or evacuation training. The frequency and details of your state and/or local mandated training should be determined in order to ensure compliance. To ensure the safest conditions possible, employees should be familiar with their building’s emergency response procedures and evacuation plan.

To assist you in meeting these standards, you may want to consider the following training formats and tips.

Single Story Structures Employees should be aware of all exits from the building and taught that in the event of an emergency, when evacuation is warranted, all employees should use the exit closest to them.

Two to Six Floors Employees should be aware of all floor and building exits. Each floor should be divided to ensure an equal number of employees are assigned for each stairwell and/or exit. Employees should be taught that when an evacuation is ordered, they should follow the instructions of members of the Emergency Reaction Team (ERT). Evacuation drills should be administered in order to familiarize employees with stairwells and building points of egress.

High Rise Buildings As it takes more time to evacuate a high-raise building, employees should be prepared to evacuate internally to a refuge area-- three floors above or three floors below the emergency floor. However, if a total building evacuation is warranted, employees should adhere to the same rules as noted for low raise buildings. The taller and more complex structures have greater needs for evacuation drills. Panic typically erupts when people are scared and confused. Knowing in advance the layout of stairwells and points of egress will enable employees to respond safely, systematically, and orderly.

The greatest cause of fire deaths is people caught unprepared, who run aimlessly through a burning, smoked filled and/or darkened building - people who panic.

The following procedures should be followed if an employee discovers smoke and/or fire:

• Activate nearest fire alarm, if applicable.
• Notify manager, warden or security officer.
• Warden directs ERT members.
• Extinguish fire/source of fire. Most fires are controllable at first. An effort should be made to extinguish the fire within the first few seconds of discovery. If applicable, shut off electricity, gas or grease if source/fuel of fire.
• Evacuate floor/area as directed.

Fire Safety Tips

• Close doors to confine and slow fire’s spread.
• Feel door before opening. Use the backside of hand to protect sense of touch to fingertips. You may be forced to crawl and feel your way out of a dark or smoke filled room or building.
• If caught in smoke - crawl. Take short breaths and breathe through your nose.
• If clothes catch fire - stop, drop and roll.

Bomb Threat & Search Procedures

The possibility of two types of bombing scenarios exits - terrorist bombing and bomb threat

Terrorist Bombing Typically, no warning or advance notification is given. The bomber places an explosive or incendiary device; it explodes creating havoc and mayhem to everything in the area. Employees / occupants should be taught to report any suspicious situation and/or circumstances, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Management must respond to these reports by at least checking them out and possibly notifying law enforcement. Note: Discuss local, regional or national incidents (i.e., Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing - 4/95, Oklahoma City; World Trade Center bombing - 2/93, NY.)

Bomb Threat There are only two reasonable explanations for bomb threats.

1. The caller has definite knowledge that an explosive device has been placed and wants to minimize personal injury or property damage. The caller may be the person who placed the device or someone who has become aware of such information.

2. The caller wants to create an atmosphere of anxiety and panic which will, in turn, possibly result in a disruption of normal activity of the installation where the device has purportedly been placed.

The caller may have a political, economical, or social agenda. For example, someone who does not like what a company or organization represents; someone who is attempting to extort money; or someone seeking publicity.

An important consolation regarding bomb threats is the vast majority are hoaxes. However, it is impossible to know immediately whether a bomb threat is real.

If a written threat is received:

• Save all materials.
• Protect evidence (i.e., fingerprints, handwriting, typewriting, postmarks, etc.).
• Immediately identify delivery source.

If a threat is received by telephone:

• Do not panic. Remain calm. The ultimate goal of the caller is to create a situation of panic.
• Utilize Bomb Threat Report Form. Information obtained by the call recipient helps determine the validity of a threat. In most hoax calls, the caller is vague, general and non-descriptive in his or her answers.
• Conversely, if the caller is specific and detailed in his or her answers, the chances are greater that the threat is real.
• Detain the caller as long as possible. If successful, the call can be traced and/or recorded. Try repeating questions at least twice.
• Do not upset caller. Show willingness to cooperate. Legitimate callers usually wish to avoid injury or death. Request more data by expressing a desire to save lives. Inform the caller that the building is occupied and detonation of a bomb may result in death or serious injury to many innocent people.
• Listen carefully. Note exact words spoken, sex of caller, approximate age, speech (i.e., accent, slang, impediment), behavior (calm, nervous, scared), background noises, etc.
• Alert a fellow employee. An alerted employee should notify Floor Warden, Security Officer or Senior Officer on the scene.
• Do not discuss with unauthorized individuals.
• Do not discuss with media.

Threat Evaluation It is the responsibility of the Decision-Making Authorities to determine:

• Degree of validity- Based on information received from the caller.
• Method of Response- Overt/total response, or covert/controlled response.

Search Procedures/Responsibilities In most communities, the Police Department’s Bomb Disposal Unit or Army’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit will not search an occupied building for explosive or incendiary devices or may not be available. It is the building’s occupants responsibility to search.

A building’s occupants provide a much better search as they are familiar with what belongs and what does not belong in the building, floor or department. To an outsider, a box setting in the corner may appear suspicious. However, an occupant might identify it as a box of supplies received a week ago, that had not been put away.

A search of the building is recommended only if time permits. If the caller states that the bomb is not set to go off for a while, a search of the building prior to evacuation may be warranted. If the caller states that the bomb is set to go off in a short while, immediate evacuation may be warranted.

Who Searches ?

• Emergency Reaction Team Members should supervise search of assigned floor/area.
• Supervisory/Office Personnel should search their own floor/area.
• Maintenance Personnel should search shops, boiler rooms, etc.
• Security Personnel should search public areas.

During Search:

• Locate and identify personal items. Bombs can be disguised to resemble personal items. By removing personal items first, you limit the number of suspect items.
• Divide floor/area.
• Pair up searchers. Upon entering a room/area, searchers should listen carefully for unusual noises that might resemble that of an explosive device (i.e., ticking, humming).
• Select height levels between the two searchers. (First level: the floor to desk top. Second level: desk top to the ceiling.) Likewise, searchers should move slowly around room/area looking for anything that does not belong. Searchers should never search above ceiling tiles. However, if ceiling tiles appear to have been disturbed (i.e., off-centered; dust on floor or furniture below; table and/or chair out of place that lends evidence to someone climbing up to ceiling tiles), it should be reported.
• Do not close doors/windows or disturb anything. Doors/windows should be left opened to minimize damage from blast and/or fragmentation.

Suspect devices Anything that doesn’t belong, including: Brief case, lunch box, back pack, sewing box, thermos, camera case, aerosol can, bags, cups/cans, etc.

Once suspect device is found: It is imperative that searchers are instructed that their mission is only to search for and report suspicious objects. The removal/disarming of a bomb must be left up to the professionals in explosive ordinance disposal.

• Do not touch suspect device.
• Notify ERT.
• Notify law enforcement.
• Evacuate floor/area as directed.

Evacuation Procedures

• Listen carefully and follow instructions.
• Do not panic. Remain calm.
• Assist disabled individuals.
• Do not use elevators - use stairwells
• Walk rapidly. Do not run.
• Stay with group throughout evacuation.
• Remain at assembly point(s) until all clear signal has been given. Emergency Warden, Security Officer or Senior Officer on scene will conduct head count. Missing persons should be reported to Fire and/or Police Department.

Severe Weather

• Do not panic. Remain calm.
• Evacuate perimeter areas where flying glass could be dangerous.
• Move to elevator lobbies and hallways around core. If possible, proceed to interior areas of basement or lower levels. For added protection, use coverage afforded by office furniture and/or equipment.
• Do not smoke or use lanterns, torches, etc. In damaged areas to avoid explosion.
• Avoid dangerous areas and/or obstacles, (i.e., electrical wires, partial walls, broken glass, etc.) Note: During Earthquake, sit or stand against inside wall or doorway.

Medical Emergencies

• Do not panic. Remain calm.
• Ensure the comfort of injured/ill person(s).
• Notify Security Officer or Senior Officer on scene.
• Notify local hospital/EMS service, if necessary.
• Note: Employees with CPR and/or Emergency First Aid training add immeasurably to a company’s Medical Emergency Procedures.

SUGGESTED SCENARIOS

This list shows some scenarios that you can use in your training exercises.

Technological Accident

• Explosion
• Fire
• Computer Failure
• Equipment Failure
• Contaminated Product
• Power Failure
• Transportation Accident
• Hazardous By-Product
• Chemical Spill
• Chemical Release
• Radiological Accident
• Environmental Shutdown
• Gas Leak
• Air Quality
• Medical Problems
• Offices Unavailable
• Service Failure
• Computer Virus

Natural Disasters

• Hurricane
• Tornado
• Earthquake
• Flood
• Tsunami
• Lightning
• Fire
• Drought
• Snowfall
• Ice Storm
• Landslide
• Mudslide
• Dam Failure
• Infestation
• Contamination
• Sinkholes
• Volcanoes
• Extreme Heat
• Extreme Cold
• Epidemic
• Moose

Business Crises

• Product Recall
• Corporate Takeover
• Labor Problem
• Workplace Violence
• Executive Death
• Executive Dismissal
• Computer Virus
• Harassment Suits
• Whistle Blowing
• Class Actions
• Consumer Actions
• Mismanagement
• Embezzlement
• Supplier Disaster
• Loss Of Key Customers
• Sex Scandal
• Media Scare
• Shareholder Suit
• Unfavorable Court Ruling
• Major Promotion Error

External Threats/ Other Hazards

• Bomb Threat
• Terrorist Threat
• Crisis At Neighbor
• Sabotage
• Theft
• Arson
• Legislation
• Other’s Crisis On Your Property
• Crisis Thought To Be Yours
• Supplier Loss
• Crisis In Same Industry
• Government Restriction
• No Property Access
• Communication Failure
• Transportation Loss
• Rumors Being Spread
• Kidnapping
• Hostage Situation
• Political Situation
• Technology Progress

External Threats due to Location

• Chemical Plant
• Nuclear Plant
• Ocean
• Flood Plain
• Airport
• Major Highway
• Major Railway
• Military Base

Human Factors

• Spill
• Sabotage
• Outdated Plan
• Wiped-Out Tapes
• Blank Backup Tapes
• Incorrect Restores
• Hackers

SUPPORTING DOCUMENT REFERENCES

• Emergency Response Plan Exercise Planning Committee Guides
• Emergency Response Plan Training Procedure