Early morning Sunday, March 26th, a shooting at Cameo Night Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, left one person dead and sixteen others injured. According to WCPO Cincinnati, police were called to the club at approximately 2:20 am and found a chaotic scene; an estimated 200 people were in the club at the time of the Cincinnati shooting and everyone was scrambling to escape the scene. While the investigation is still underway, the chaos that ensued shows how crucial crisis management planning is in these situations.
Evacuation plans and safety protocols are imperative
Every establishment should have an evacuation plan in place to manage an emergency situation. There are a number of different things that emergency protocols should take into account according to OSHA: evacuation plans in the event of an emergency (for employers, employees, and patrons, if applicable) that includes route assignments, how to prevent an emergency in the first place, the most efficient reporting method in the event of an emergency, which people and organizations to contact in an emergency, shutdown procedures, and rescue and medical duties. This only covers what to do during the emergency itself; but what‘s most important is what is done before an emergency. Employers must establish protocols, provide education and training to their employees, and ensure that everyone understands them, and after an evacuation it is important to have a system for locating employees and patrons to ensure they are safe.
Having an evacuation plan is not enough
It is an unfortunate truth that how we plan to act in an emergency situation is often not how we act in reality. Many companies implement emergency evacuation plans and safety protocols with the best of intentions, but find themselves overwhelmed by chaos.
An evacuation plan and emergency protocols should be tested and rehearsed before an actual emergency. When creating your emergency plan, it is imperative that you communicate with all involved parties that not only understand their duties but know what to do through practice runs.
We cannot prevent emergency situations, but we can do our best to respond to them effectively and minimize any resulting damage. Contact your HUB broker today to learn more about how to create a Crisis Management plan for your business.