Emergency Response Planning Techniques

Kelly McKinney asked Chat GPT to provide a Crisis Management Algorithm. I added the exact prompts into MS COPILOT. Here are the results. Blue Sky Phase (Pre-Crisis) 1. Crisis Envisioning and Planning   - Identify Potential Crises: Natural disasters, cyber-attacks, health emergencies, etc.   - Assess Resource and Consequence Challenges: Information flow, available resources, possible impacts.   - Draft Possible Scenarios: Create a library of realistic crisis scenarios. 2. Team Identification and Convening   - Identify Key Individuals and Groups: Roles such as communication, logistics, medical, security.   - Recruit Additional Members: Based on specific crisis needs.   - Schedule Training Sessions: Immersive crisis scenario simulations. 3. Development of Crisis Response Plan   - Establish Tactical Operations: Identify parallel and simultaneous operations.   - Assign Leads for Each Operation: Designate responsible individuals and groups.   - Create Flexible Response Guidelines: Document detailed yet adaptable procedures.    4. Team Readiness and Monitoring   - Establish 24/7 Monitoring: Set up systems to keep watch for any crisis signals.   - Information Gathering Systems: Develop methods to collect and assess initial signals.   - Crisis Simulations and Drills: Regularly conduct practice scenarios. Gray Sky Phase (During Crisis) 1. Signal Detection and Assessment   - Monitor Signals: Continuous observation of potential threats.   - Immediate Response: Gather detailed information upon detection of a signal.   - Initial Assessment: Evaluate if the signal could lead to a crisis. 2. Incident Management Team Notification and Activation   - Notify Incident Management Team: Use all available means (email, text, etc.).   - Convene Incident Management Team: Ensure team is quickly assembled.    3. Emergency Operations Facilitation   - Operations Meetings:     - Initial Briefing: Share situational awareness.    - Status Updates: Regular reports from individuals and groups on their operations.    - Address Issues and Needs: Identify obstacles and unmet needs, propose solutions.   - Tactical Execution: Oversee and support the execution of emergency operations. 4. Continuous Review and Adaptation   - Continuous Monitoring: Keep assessing the situation and adjusting the plan.   - Coordination and Communication: Ensure seamless coordination among team members.   - Resource Management: Efficiently allocate resources as per needs.   - Documentation: Maintain detailed records of decisions and actions taken. 5. Crisis Resolution and Debriefing   - Crisis Resolution: Keep operating until the crisis is resolved.   - Post-Crisis Review: Conduct a thorough review to identify lessons learned.   - Update Crisis Management Plan: Incorporate improvements based on the review. By following this algorithm, your crisis management team can efficiently manage crises, ensuring preparedness before they occur and effective action during their occurrence.

Over the years of working in Protective Medicine and Executive Protection, I've put together a checklist that works for me, and may help you ensure your emergency response plans actually work when you need them most: 1️⃣ 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀:  What could go wrong? Natural disasters? Medical emergencies? Security threats? Traumatic injuries? Write down potential scenarios and prioritize them. 2️⃣ 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻: Who does what in an emergency? Assign roles based on skills and experience. Include everyone involved; this isn’t just for the "medical crew." 3️⃣ 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Regular drills! Practice makes better(not perfect)—who doesn’t want to be a pro under pressure? Invest time in training sessions focused on real-life scenarios RELEVANT to your operations. 4️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀: Check expiration dates on medical supplies.  Swap out equipment based on the environment that they are stored in. A roll of gauze or medical tape that sits in a medical bag in a vehicle constantly in the sun, will not hold up well as one kept in a temperature controlled office.  Update equipment based on changes in risks or team needs. 5️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀: What went well? What didn’t? Use these lessons to improve future plans. Don’t repeat mistakes! This may sound straightforward, but you'd be surprised how many organizations overlook these basics! If you're serious about safety, take some time to implement this checklist into your strategy today.  Whether it's for an event or general preparedness—it’s never too late to start building resilience! What steps are you currently taking to enhance your emergency response plans? Share below! 👇

No matter how much you plan, there will always be things that happen that you didn't anticipate. This really happened at our client's conference on Day 2! The venue pipes suddenly burst out and water sprayed everywhere on the expo floor, on furniture, and attendees #eventprofs, HOW would you respond? Our team was in shock. How did we solve the problem? -- We evacuated everyone from the show floor and quickly pivoted the sessions to outdoors. -- Called the fire station to help shut down the sprinklers -- Quickly called all the vendors to relocate the evening reception to outside. -- Send out mobile notifications a part of the expo floor was closed and redirect guests to other areas -- Held a meeting with the venue to discuss damages, insurance, etc. -- By the end of the day, file a report and claim to capture all of the damages and costs incurred (including loss of opportunities) with the venue's insurance. Can an event planner be prepared for something like this? Yes! 💯 Here's some recommendations: -- Ask the venue to conduct maintenance checks (of all the water systems, pipes, and elevators) before the show starts. -- Review insurance clauses to make sure the venue's insurance will cover damages -- Meet with the hotel and their maintenance crew to discuss possible scenarios and contingency plans. Did you have a similar experience? I'd love to hear your stories. Story time! #eventmarketing #b2bconferences #b2bevents #b2bmarketing #eventmanagement

After reading the Lahaina Fire Phase 2/Incident Analysis Report, I came away with 7 key takeaways. Here's one that stands out for every emergency manager and public safety leader. Defining your "watch points" and "action points"—and knowing exactly what you'll do when those thresholds are met is incredibly important. When dangerous conditions are forecasted, what actions are you taking to lean forward, mitigate risk, and be ready to respond quickly should something happen? Are you adjusting staffing plans, moving resources, or starting deliberate outreach to the public? When are you sounding the alarms with alerts and warnings? This is a crucial part of getting left of bang. The short window of time between the recognition of dangerous conditions and the incident beginning is when your decisions have the most impact. What you do in that time can make all the difference. But you can't leave it to chance. It's vital to establish these decision points and actions before you’re in the heat of the moment with uncertainty making it hard to figure out where to start. The good news is that this doesn’t take a massive amount of effort. In just a few hours or over a couple of days, you can gather your team and define the thresholds that will drive your actions for each of the risks your community faces. All you need is a whiteboard, Post-it Notes, and some focused discussion. One page per incident is all it takes to summarize these thresholds and initial actions. You don’t need to wait for consensus from a large group or find a time when 25 people have space on their calendars. Just start by outlining what you need to do when the threat is forecasted—and what triggers your decisions. Leverage the attention, emotion, and urgency of reports and lessons like the ones coming out of Lahaina to drive your program and preparedness forward.