Are You Ready to ShakeOut?

Are You Ready to ShakeOut?

 

Major earthquakes can cause unprecedented catastrophes. With earthquakes as an inevitable part of our future, businesses should make plans and take actions to ensure that disasters do not become catastrophes. What we do now, will determine what our lives will be like afterwards. With this in mind, the Earthquake Country Alliance (www.earthquakecountry.org) created the Great California ShakeOut, an earthquake drill and preparedness activity in which everyone can participate, which has now spread to many other states and regions. To register as a participant for a ShakeOut drill in your area visit www.shakeout .org. Businesses of all sizes can also use the drill to get their employees, business partners, and even their clients and customers, involved and prepared for a big earthquake. Furthermore, the level of your staffs’ own personal and family preparedness will be key to their availability to support your company’s response and recovery efforts after a disaster.

Although they were created for ShakeOut drill events across the nation, the instructions on the following pages can be used or adapted for earthquake drills anywhere and anytime. The following drill guidelines are designed for businesses and their personnel and each drill uses the general earthquake response of Drop, Cover, and Hold On ( www.dropcoverholdon.org) as its foundation. To be flexible, the following pages provide four options for drill designs ranging from simple (Level 1) to advanced (Level 4), each with steps to be taken before, during, and after the drill. Going forward, your company can customize and build a drill that suits your specific needs.

 

Here’s the link to our Disaster Preparation guide:

https://www.couponchief.com/guides/guide_to_saving_money_on_disaster_preparation

 

Level 1 – Simple: Drop, Cover, and Hold On Drill

This drill uses simple steps to inform all employees how to perform Drop, Cover, and Hold On – a quake-safe action designed to protect lives from falling furniture and flying objects than can become projectiles during ground shaking.

BEFORE the Drill

1.    If you will participate in a ShakeOut drill, register your Business as an official participant at www.ShakeOut.org (make sure to register in your state or region).

2.    Inform your employees regarding:

□     The date and time of your drill.

□     How to correctly perform Drop, Cover, and Hold On, wherever they are.

□     Your expectations for their participation (i.e. Drop/Cover/Hold On, gather at a central location for a head count, post-drill discussions).

□     If your drill is part of a ShakeOut encourage employees, customers, etc. to invite friends, families, and neighbors to register as individuals or organizations at www.ShakeOut.org, in their region, so they can participate as well and receive information directly on how to be safe during an earthquake.

3.    (Optional) Download realistic sound effects and safety information to play during your drill by downloading recordings from www.ShakeOut.org/resources.

DURInG the Drill

1.    Via the public announcement (PA) system, email, cell phone/text message, or verbal direction:

□     Announce that the earthquake drill has begun and to Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

□     (Optional) Play the audio recording (see above) on your PA or, alternatively, play it on a computer in each office.

□     Suggest that while down on the floor, employees look around at what would be falling on them in a real earthquake. These items should be secured or moved after the drill.

2.    After at least one minute, announce that the shaking is over and that employees can stand up again. Thank them for participating.

3.    Encourage employees to discuss their experiences with one another.

AFTER the Drill

1.    Ask for feedback on how the drill went.

2.    Schedule the next drill for one year later (or sooner if employees need to practice).

3.    If you participated in a ShakeOut drill, complete a post-ShakeOut survey if one is available on your ShakeOut region’s website.

4.    Share photos and stories at www.ShakeOut.org.

5.    Review “7 Steps to an Earthquake Resilient Business” for additional ideas, available at www.earthquakecountry.org/roots.

 

6.    Encourage employees to prepare at home using the 7 Steps to Earthquake Safety from “Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country” (see www.earthquakecountry.org/roots/seven_steps.html).

 

 

 Level 2 – Basic: Life Safety Drill

This drill focuses on immediate life safety and engages employees to think through their emergency response actions during an earthquake. It can be used whether or not your business has developed a disaster plan (Business Continuity Plan).

BEFORE the Drill

1.    If you will participate in a ShakeOut drill, register your Business as an official participant at www.ShakeOut.org (make sure to register in your state or region).

□     Communicate with your employees whether registration will be at the corporate or departmental level or if separate office locations should register individually.

2.    If your facility serves the general public, determine how or whether you will involve them in the drill.

3.    Inform your employees regarding:

□     The date and time of your drill.

□     How to correctly perform Drop, Cover, and Hold On, wherever they are.

o   This includes taking cover beneath a sturdy table or desk, or dropping to the floor near an interior wall and covering your head with your hands and arms.

o   Develop special procedures for unique locations such as warehouses and offices with glass walls.

□     Your expectations for their participation (i.e., to Drop, Cover, and Hold On, after the shaking stops, to gather at a central location to account for occupants, etc.).

o   If away from the office - set a cell phone alarm for the time of the drill, and to encourage those they are with to participate as well.

o   If unable to Drop, Cover, and Hold On during the drill - take pause at drill-time to consider what they would do if an earthquake were to strike at that moment.

□     If your drill is part a ShakeOut, encourage employees, customers, etc. to invite friends, families, and neighbors to register as individuals or organizations at www.ShakeOut.org, in their region, so they participate as well and receive information directly.

4.    Steps or Questions to Consider:

□     How will you direct employees during and immediately following the shaking?

o   Safety must be the first priority, so carefully assess the environment inside and outside of your facility before deciding. Consider factors (your location, building type, damage impacts) that will influence your decisions after the earthquake (i.e., evacuating vs. staying put).

5.    Create a brief written description of the earthquake’s potential impacts, along with questions for participants to ponder during the drill. For ideas, review the 2008 San Andreas scenario at www.ShakeOut.org/scenario.

□     Tape the description under desks/conference tables or provide envelopes to be opened during the drill. Email is a last option, as it’s more effective when read during the drill.

□     To increase participation, also include a surprise under the desk (candy, light stick, etc.).

6.      (Optional) Download realistic sound effects and safety information to play during your drill by downloading recordings from www.ShakeOut.org/resources.

7.      Distribute ShakeOut posters/flyers to encourage employees, contractors, etc., to participate.

8.      Determine the addition of post-shaking evacuation procedures to the drill, if needed:

□     Post-Shaking: Based on the age and type of your building, and the environment inside/outside of building, etc., determine whether your facility would evacuate after a real earthquake, or whether you would first assess the building’s damage before directing employees to either stay put or evacuate. Consider new safety hazards outside of your facility caused by the shaking.

□     Post-Earthquake Tsunami Threat: If your facility is in a coastal area, consider whether or not you will need to have plans to evacuate to higher ground.

 

 

DURING the Drill:

 

1. Via email, cell phone/text message, public announcement (PA) system, or verbal direction:

 

• Announce that the earthquake drill has begun and to Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
• (Optional) Play the audio recording (see above) on your PA or, alternatively, play it on a computer in each office.
• Suggest that while down on the floor, employees look around at what might fall on them during a real earthquake. Secure or move items after the drill to prevent injury and damage.

 

2. After at least one minute, announce that the shaking is over and for employees to stand up again.

 

3. Automatically evacuating after an earthquake may not be a safe action. If your drill includes additional steps or activities such as evacuation to another location, initiate this part of your drill but consider new hazards from fallen or broken objects.

 

4. Encourage employees to discuss their drill experiences and observations with one another.

 

AFTER the Drill

 

1. Hold staff meetings as soon as possible after the drill. Ask for feedback on how the drill went, how it could be improved, and how your business, department, or facility can be better prepared.

 

• Discuss preparedness at work and home. (Employees’ home/family preparedness will allow them to either stay at work, or return to work more rapidly, to support your company’s recovery).
• Discuss employee disaster responsibilities and business resumption priorities.
• Share the unfortunate reality that after a major earthquake, it may take considerable time before local emergency resources will be available to assist with life safety issues. With this in mind, how can the business and each employee’s preparedness be enhanced?

 

2. Follow up with an e-mail reminder about emergency protective actions in an earthquake (e.g. Drop, Cover, and Hold On) and encourage employees to practice these actions at home.

 

3. Share lessons learned from the drill and any real experiences with those people responsible for your company’s disaster planning to update the plan/procedures and employee training.

 

4. Review “7 Steps to an Earthquake Resilient Business” for additional ideas, available at www.earthquakecountry.org/roots.

 

5. Schedule your next drill one year from now (or sooner) so employees can practice life safety procedures.

 

6. If you participated in a ShakeOut drill, complete a post-ShakeOut survey if one is available on your ShakeOut region’s website.

 

7. Share your stories and photos at www.ShakeOut.org

 

8. Encourage employees to prepare at home using the 7 Steps to Earthquake Safety from “Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country” (see www.earthquakecountry.org/roots/seven_steps.html).

 

 

Level 3 – Intermediate: Decision-Making Drill

 

This drill includes all aspects of Level 2 in terms of employee participation in a Drop, Cover, and Hold On drill, and adds a “table top” exercise for decision-makers to consider how the earthquake would impact your business. It can be used whether or not your business has developed a disaster plan (Business Continuity Plan).

 

BEFORE the Drill

1. If you will participate in a ShakeOut drill, register your Business as an official participant at www.ShakeOut.org (make sure to register in your state or region).

• Communicate with your employees whether registration will be at the corporate or departmental level or if separate office locations should register individually.

2. Bring together a team of individuals from your business to design the drill.

• Determine or review your emergency procedures for an earthquake.

3. Determine the length of your drill and its objectives.

• If you have a disaster plan, the objectives and resulting drill can test a specific part of your plan.

• What would you like your drill to test?

4. Learn about potential earthquakes for your area and use your team to develop your own “business disaster scenario” with specific details of how you might expect the shaking to impact your business (i.e., the building, operations, production chain, employees, and customers). For ideas, review the 2008 San Andreas scenario at www.ShakeOut.org/scenario. Consider the following:
   • Would the power be out?  Phone communications down? Loading dock severely damaged?
   • How will you direct employees during and immediately following the shaking?

• Consider that certain factors (your location, building type, damage impacts) will influence your decisions regarding what to do immediately after the earthquake (i.e.,

evacuating vs. staying put) and in the longer term (how customers will get to you).

• Identify who is authorized to make and communicate post-earthquake decisions.
• If your business has “floor wardens” for fire evacuation, how will you utilize these personnel for earthquakes, especially if you do not evacuate?

• Make sure the impacts you determine for your “business disaster scenario” make it possible to support your drill objectives.

• Note: Do not “wipe-out” the whole community and eliminate your reason to drill.

5. Write up the final version of your “business disaster scenario.”

6. Invite your company’s executives and key decision-makers to participate in your drill. If you already have a plan, have them review it prior to the drill.

7. Inform your employees regarding:
   • The date and time of your drill.
   • How to correctly perform Drop, Cover, and Hold On, wherever they are.
     • This includes taking cover beneath a sturdy table or desk, or dropping to the floor

near an interior wall and covering your head with your hands and arms.

• Develop special procedures for unique locations such as warehouses and offices with glass walls.

 

• Your expectations for their participation (i.e., to Drop, Cover, and Hold On, after the shaking stops, to gather at a central location to account for occupants, etc.).
  • If away from the office - set a cell phone alarm for the time of the drill, and to

encourage those they are with to participate as well.

• If unable to Drop, Cover, and Hold On during the drill - take pause at drill-time to consider what they would do if an earthquake were to strike at that moment.

• If your drill is part of a ShakeOut drill, encourage employees, customers, etc. to invite friends, families, and neighbors to register as individuals or organizations at www.ShakeOut.org, in their region, so they participate as well and receive information directly.

8. (Optional) Download realistic sound effects and safety information to play during your drill by downloading recordings from www.ShakeOut.org/resources.

6. Determine the addition of post-shaking evacuation procedures to the drill, if needed:

• Post-Shaking: Based on the age and type of your building, and the environment inside/outside of building, etc., determine whether your facility would evacuate after a real earthquake, or whether you would first assess the building’s damage before directing employees to either stay put or evacuate.
• Post-Earthquake Tsunami Threat: If your facility is in a coastal area, consider whether or not you will need to have plans to evacuate to higher ground.

The Night BEFORE the Drill

1. Create a brief written description of the earthquake’s impact using your “business disaster scenario” along with some questions for all employees to consider.

• Tape this description under desks/conference tables or provide sealed envelopes to open during the drill. Email is a last option, as the information is more effective when read during the drill.

• To increase participation, include a surprise under the desk (candy, light stick, lunch coupons, etc.)

DURING the Drill:

1. Invite your company’s decision-makers (executives and key managers) to assemble in a pre-determined room a few minutes before your drill and share your drill objectives. When the drill is announced, tell all participants in this group to also Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

 

2. Via your public announcement system, email, cell phone/text reminder or verbal direction:

• Announce that the earthquake drill has begun and to Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
• (Optional) Play the audio recording (see above) on your PA or, alternatively, play it on a computer in each office.
• Suggest that while down on the floor, employees look around at what might fall on them during a real earthquake. Secure or move items after the drill to prevent injury and damage.

3. After at least one minute, announce that the shaking is over and for everyone to stand up again.

4. Automatically evacuating after an earthquake may not be a safe action. If your drill includes additional steps or activities such as evacuation to another location, initiate this part of your drill but consider new hazards from fallen or broken objects.

5. In the room with the decision-makers:
   • Have everyone sit back at the table.
   • Read your “business disaster scenario” with details of the earthquake’s impacts.
   • To make the potential impact more vivid, you can show the downloadable video of expected shaking. This can be found at www.ShakeOut.org/scenario.

6. Now go around the table to discuss what your business can expect to happen and decisions that will be made based on the scenario.

• Try to have the discussion flow in chronological order of what would be the expected activities and priorities in the first minutes, hours, days, etc. following the details of the “business disaster scenario”

• However, if all issues are solved within a particular timeframe, move the scenario timeline forward to day/week/month later and begin the discussion again to address new issues.

7. Have someone document the chronology of the drill events, decisions, issues, and proposed solutions. Which policy decisions need to be made in advance? What changes in practice are required?

AFTER the Drill

1. For the general employee population - hold staff meetings as soon as possible after the drill to discuss what happened, people’s experience during the drill, what they were thinking about, what caused concern, what worked well, and what did not work well. Take this opportunity to:

• Discuss the importance of preparedness at work and at home. (Employees’ home/family preparedness will allow them to either stay at work, or return to work more rapidly, to support your company’s recovery).

• Review post-disaster employee responsibilities.
• Update emergency contact lists and go over phone tree procedures.
• Discuss your safety and business resumption priorities.
• Discuss company staff emergency responsibilities.
• Share lessons learned from the drill or real experiences.
• Listen attentively to staff suggestions.

2. At your management level:

• Review staff and management emergency responsibilities.
• Discuss phone tree procedures and ensure emergency contacts lists are kept up to date.
• Review and recommend safety and operations resumption priorities for your disaster plan (Business Continuity Plan).

3. For the decision-makers in the room - verify whether you met your drill objectives or not. Discuss what happened regarding people’s experiences, areas of concern, and what worked well or did not, and then document all comments to officially end the drill.

4. Determine your next steps and assign people to those tasks to follow-up.
   • Assign a team to begin developing or enhancing your business disaster plan (Business Continuity Plan) based on experiences from this drill.
   • If you already have a plan, update it with lessons learned from the drill.
   • Discuss the importance of preparedness at work and at home, encouraging participation.

5. Update your plan with lessons learned from the drill or any real experiences. Meet with those who are responsible for Business Continuity to discuss and make recommendations for plan updates and to include in employee training.

6. Review “7 Steps to an Earthquake Resilient Business” for additional ideas, available at www.earthquakecountry.org/roots.

7. Schedule your next drill one year from now (or sooner) so employees can practice life safety actions and to exercise the emergency procedures of your disaster plan, especially after changes.

8. If you participated in a ShakeOut drill, complete a post-ShakeOut survey if one is available on your ShakeOut region’s website.

9. Share your stories and photos at www.ShakeOut.org.

10. Encourage employees to prepare at home using the 7 Steps to Earthquake Safety from “Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country” (see www.earthquakecountry.org/roots/seven_steps.html).

Level 4 – Advanced: Business Operations Drill

This drill includes all aspects of Level 2 in terms of employee participation in a Drop, Cover, Hold On drill, and is an exercise for crisis team personnel who have emergency response and/or business recovery duties in your business disaster plan (Business Continuity Plan). Whereas Level 3 is a “table - top” exercise for decision-makers to imagine potential consequences and solutions, this level involves simulated incidents that test your organization’s ability to respond and recover.

BEFORE the Drill

1. If you will participate in a ShakeOut drill, register your Business as an official participant at www.ShakeOut.org (make sure you register in your state or region).

2. Bring together a team of individuals from your business to design the drill.

3. Determine the length, scope and objectives of your drill.

• For example, test a specific part of your organization’s emergency plan for an hour.
• If your facility serves the general public, determine whether you will involve them in the drill, treating this similarly to a fire alarm during hours of public operation. You can also hold your drill before or after public hours; however, this limits the employees’ opportunity to practice quake-safe actions.

4. Learn about potential earthquakes for your area and use your team to develop a tailored “business disaster scenario” with specific details of how the shaking might impact your business. For ideas, review the 2008 San Andreas scenario at www.ShakeOut.org/scenario.

• Would the power be out? Are roads open or closed? Is the phone system down? Cell phones? What structural damage has occurred to your building? What non-structural damage has occurred inside to your computers, equipment, machinery, furniture, lights, filing, inventory, computers, windows, systems? Do you need to communicate with branch offices, employees, vendors, customers, etc.?

• How will you direct employees during and immediately following the shaking?

• Consider that certain factors (your location, building type, damage impacts) will influence your decisions regarding what to do after the earthquake (i.e., evacuating vs. staying put). Safety must be the first priority, so carefully assess the environment

inside and outside of your facility before deciding.

• Make sure your plan identifies the personnel authorized to determine and communicate post-earthquake decisions.

• If your business has “floor wardens” for fire evacuation, how will you utilize these personnel for earthquakes, especially if you do not evacuate?
• Make sure the impacts you determine for your “business disaster scenario” make it possible to support your drill objectives.
  • Note: Do not “wipe-out” the whole community and eliminate your reason to drill.

5. Invite your key business decision-makers and leaders (Crisis Management Team) to your drill. Have them review your plan prior to the drill.

6. Select a facilitator to run the drill. Determine other staffing role requirements such as assigning personnel as evaluators to document all drill activities in chronological order.

7. Write up a final version of your “business disaster scenario.”

8. Conduct training of all drill participants (and their would-be back-ups) who are assigned emergency positions so they are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities. All participants, back-ups, evaluators, and decision-makers should review the disaster plan.

9. Create a timeline for your drill, such as:
   • 00:00:00 – Earthquake starts, employees Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
   • 00:00:30 – Lights go out and computers go down.
   • 00:01:00 – Sprinklers in SE corner of first floor turn on.
   • Etc.

10. Separately from the timeline, create a list of “injected events”. “Injects” are surprise events that could reasonably occur during the drill (e.g., aftershocks, specific problems related to your business, etc.). These events can be “injected” (or provided to the participants in the form of a note, a person acting out a role in the drill, etc.) periodically during the drill to get participants thinking of issues and solutions without overwhelming them.

11. (Optinal) Download realistic sound effects and safety information to play during your drill by downloading recordings from www.ShakeOut.org/resources.

12. Inform your employees regarding:

• The date and time of your drill.
• How to correctly perform Drop, Cover, and Hold On, wherever they are.

• This includes taking cover beneath a sturdy table or desk, or dropping to the floor near an interior wall and covering your head with your hands and arms.

• Develop special procedures for unique locations such as warehouses and offices with glass walls.
• Your expectations for their participation (i.e., Drop, Cover and Hold On, gathering at a central location for a head count, playing a role such as a “drill injured” that will need medical assistance, and/or having post-drill discussions, etc.).

• If your drill is part of a ShakeOut drill, encourage employees, customers, etc. to invite friends, families, and neighbors to register as individuals or organizations at www.ShakeOut.org, in their region, so can they participate as well and receive information directly.

13. Determine the addition of the post-shaking evacuation procedures to the drill, if needed:
    • Post-Earthquake: Based on the age and type of your building, and the environment inside/outside of building, etc., determine whether your facility would evacuate after a real earthquake, and how you would first assess the building’s damage before directing employees to either stay put or evacuate. Consider new safety hazards outside of your facility caused by the shaking.

• Post-Earthquake Tsunami Threat: If your facility is in a coastal area, consider whether or not you need to have plans to evacuate to higher ground.

The Night BEFORE the Drill

1. Create a brief written description of the earthquake’s impact using your “business disaster scenario” along with some questions for employees to consider.

• Tape this description under desks and conference tables or provide employees with sealed envelopes to open during the drill. (You can use email, but it is more effective if they do not read this until during the drill.)
• To increase participation, tape a surprise under the desk as an incentive (candy, light stick, lunch coupons, etc.).

 

 DURING the Drill

1.    Via your public announcement system (PA), email, cell phone/text reminder or verbal direction:

□     Announce that the earthquake drill has begun and that strong shaking could last one minute.

□     (Optional) Play the audio recording (see above) on your PA or, alternatively, play it on a computer in each office.

□     Tell everyone to Drop, Cover, and Hold On then open the envelope taped under their desk.

□     Suggest that while down on the floor, employees look around at what would be falling on them in a real earthquake. These items should be secured or moved after the drill.

2.    After at least one minute, announce that the shaking is over and for everyone to stand up again.

3.    Announce the beginning of the Business Operations Drill and for employees to follow their response procedures.

4.    Provide the timeline of events to all participating employees with instructions to undertake their emergency roles. However, do not let them skip ahead in time.

5.    As the drill progresses distribute individual “inject events” to specific participants. Have drill evaluators observe and document how these surprise issues are handled.

6.    When the drill duration time is met, announce that the Business Operations Drill is over.

AFTER the Drill

1.    Assemble the facilitators and evaluators with their documentation to summarize activities, actions, decisions, and solutions from the drill.

□     Discuss whether you met your drill objectives or why you did not.

□     Document lessons learned, best practices, and necessary actions to improve your employee training and emergency procedures, and incorporate them into the disaster plan (Business Continuity Plan).

2.    Hold staff meetings as soon as possible after the drill so all employees/staff can discuss and document what happened during the exercise, what decisions were made, what worked, what didn’t, etc. Take this opportunity to:

□     Discuss preparedness at work and at home. (Employees’ home/family preparedness will allow them to either stay at work, or return to work more rapidly, to support your company’s recovery).

3.    Next, assemble Business Operations Drill participants, including your decision-makers and leaders.

□     Depending on the size of your organization, emergency or departmental teams may need to meet separately, followed by a leadership meeting with reps from each team.

□     Discuss and document comments of what happened during the exercise, what decisions were made, what worked, what didn’t, etc.

□     Listen attentively to staff suggestions.

□     Encourage the sharing of lessons learned from the drill or real experiences.

□     Review pre and post-disaster employee responsibilities.

□     Discuss need to update emergency contact lists and any other critical documents in plan.

□     Discuss any changes to your safety and business resumption priorities.

□     Discuss possible changes to company staff emergency responsibilities.

□     Cover the importance of preparedness at work and at home, encouraging participation.

□     Document and accept all comments then thank all the participants to officially end the drill.

4. At your Business Continuity Planning management level:
   • Review lessons learned and recommendations to be added to the plan.
   • Update staff and management emergency responsibilities.
   • Discuss process to keep critical documents up to date.
   • Determine or assign staff to update your disaster plan (Business Continuity Plan) with lessons learned from the drill.
   • Review the updated Business Continuity Plan with recommended safety and operations resumption priorities and procedures.

5. Determine next steps and assign people to those tasks to follow-up.

• Schedule training as needed to address plan changes.
• Make sure future drills follow trainings so that employees can work through the most current procedures.

6. Take the newly updated Business Continuity Plan and get executive sign-off, which is easier if they participated in the drill.

7. Schedule your next drill one year from now (or sooner) so employees can practice life safety procedures, decision-making, and to exercise the emergency procedures of your Business Continuity Plan, especially after updates.

8. If you participated in a ShakeOut drill, complete a post-ShakeOut survey if one is available on your ShakeOut region’s website.

9. Share your drill stories and photos at www.ShakeOut.org.

10. Review “7 Steps to an Earthquake Resilient Business” for additional ideas, available at www.earthquakecountry.org/roots.

11. Share your Business Continuity Plan with vendors and suppliers and ask for their plans as well.

12. Highlight your disaster readiness with current and potential customers.

11. Encourage employees to prepare at home using the 7 Steps to Earthquake Safety from “Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country” (see www.earthquakecountry.org/roots/seven_steps.html).