How to get started

Insert graphic here:
width: 175px
height: 64px

How to get started

By Debra Susca

Freelance writer in Portland, CT

Insurers, consultants, the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and the American Red Cross all recommend that companies beginning the disaster-planning and business-recovery process should start by downloading the Emergency Management Guide for Business & Industry, found on the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s Web site, www.fema.gov.

“It’s worth its weight in gold,” says Chip Darius, president of Safety Priority Consul-tants. “It gives business owners a whole list of things to consider and a way to reach their goal. How Alpha Company does it will be different than Beta Company.”

The guide walks planners through the entire disaster-preparedness and business-continuity process, starting by outlining potential emergencies to consider and then giving detailed and thought-provoking directions under each of four steps:

Establish a planning team.

Analyze capabilities and hazards.

Develop the plan.

Implement the plan.

“It can take years to get this completed,” says Darius, “and you’ll have to continually modify it. Just get your biggest chisel and hammer, and start knocking off chunks of it.”

As you begin the process, you should also talk with others in your industry associations or manufacturers groups; your communities, including the utility companies and fire and police; and your insurance carriers to discuss coverages.

“Each company’s resources will have to support the plan when it’s developed,” says Darius. “You should bring them into the process.”