Support the Police, Fire and Ambulance attendants

Communication with the First Responders: Police, Fire and Ambulance, is critical during any disaster. Any information that can be provided to them regarding the state of the emergency, the whereabouts of staff and building occupants and the location of floor plans and equipment, can save lives. When people are ‘on the ball,’ disasters can be mitigated instead of going from bad to worse.

Having a Fire Safety Plan is really only one piece of the puzzle – if you don’t put together a team of Wardens and Emergency Personnel, provide them with the tools they need, such as Warden Identifier Vests, then train them so they know the procedures,  then maintain an updated plan and, finally, put your plan into action during an emergency, it is almost useless. Imagine how much easier it is for the firefighters or police officers when they arrive on-scene and your emergency response personnel are there to meet them at the door and are able to tell them that everyone is out of the building and safely in the Recommended Assembly Area.  Now they don’t have to complete a building search, but can go straight to fighting the fire. Or perhaps the Floor Warden knows that someone is stuck in the fifth floor elevator and communicates this to the firefighters, now they can go directly to that person instead of wasting time  and putting themselves in harms way searching the entire smoke-filled building. Everyone’s chances of survival are increased.

Don’t just have a plan – put it into action.

“It’s not what you know; it’s what you do with what you know.”

~ Unknown