Why Your Business Should Have an ERP

8/28/2018 (Permalink)

Benjamin Franklin wisely said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” It’s advice that can easily apply to a business. Water damage, fire damage, storm damage and other disasters can ravage corporations. A staggering 50 percent of these companies are too crippled to reopen. So how are the other 50 percent able to rebound? They have a readiness plan.

An ERP (Emergency Readiness Plan) is a method of planning for emergencies long before they occur. It’s a carefully devised, well-rehearsed strategy that guides you and your employees to take decisive action during a catastrophe. Here are some things to consider while putting your ERP into place:

PONDER THE WORST CASE SCENARIOS

Encourage your employees to formulate as many disaster scenarios as they can. One of the worst calamities in the US occurred in the 2010 flood in Nashville, Tennessee, when the city was deluged by 13.57 inches of rain within 36 hours (an event I’m sure you all remember quite well). Studying such tragedies can help you more effectively plot possible situations.

DETERMINE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS

It is necessary to create an ERP that protects anyone in the building. The Department of Homeland Security refers to this as “Protective Actions for Life Safety,” including:

• Fire Drills -- Rehearsals for action during a fire.
• Sheltering -- Sheltering staff during a natural disaster.
• Sheltering in Place -- Sheltering staff during a man-made emergency.
• Lockdown -- Eluding an active shooter.

LEARN HOW TO STABILIZE THE INCIDENT

Stabilizing an incident means preventing further damage on the scene. This can be accomplished by training your employees in various rescue procedures including:

• First Aid and CPR
• Proper Use of Fire Extinguishers

TRAIN AN EVACUATION TEAM

Without guidance during an evacuation, people may blindly panic. Consider adding an evacuation team to your ERP:

• Assign employees to guide evacuees out of the building.
• Appoint helpers to assist persons with disabilities.
• If an exit is blocked by a hazard such as a collapsed ceiling, make sure the evacuation team is trained to redirect employees to an alternate exit.

SERVPRO of Belle Meade / West Nashville, is a fast, reliable, proactive provider of emergency cleaning and restoration services for fire and water damage. SERVPRO can expertly help you devise an effective Emergency Readiness Plan for your business in the West Nashville area.

The SERVPRO Ready Plan information will give you the security of emergency preparedness. The information can be downloaded into the Ready Plan app to instantly share with SERVPRO, so that the damage can be intercepted. We’ll make it “like it never happened.”