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Emergency preparedness is a top priority for both public and private facility owners and managers. They have the responsibility for anticipating what can happen, having procedures in place that minimize injuries and deaths, and having work spaces up and running as quickly and effectively as possible. All facility managers/owners can find value in this week's articles.

The effectiveness of an emergency response plan relies heavily on team members knowing their roles.
(Item #1) Read these stories and lessons learned from the trenches of the Obama inauguration. (Item #2) The services of a document recovery specialist can prove invaluable in getting the business up and running quickly and efficiently in the aftermath of a flood, fire or other disaster. (Item #3)

If you're considering a mass notification system, you'll want to read this. (Item #4) The natural instinct to flee in the face of a disaster may have to be held in check. (Item #5) Is facility management automation part of your disaster planning? (Item #6)

As always, we look forward to hearing about your concerns with regards to business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like to see covered, please email me at bmellinger@attainium.net

Best Regards,

Bob Mellinger
President
Attainium Corp

Quote of the Week

"If you have a health and safety disaster,
a television crew can be the first ones on site,
and that information can go around the world in seconds."
- Kathy Seabrook -

Articles

1. Services & Maintenance: Call to Action
Earthquakes happen. So do tornados, hurricanes, power outages, floods, structural failures, explosions, armed assaults, and plagues of locusts. It all depends, one would suppose, on who or what force is aggravated. When a building starts filling with smoke (or water) or any one of a myriad of other unplanned incidents occurs, the outcome may well depend on how the organization's emergency management team has done its job.
http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/articles/call-to-action.php

2. Securing Office Buildings for Special Events
Just about every facility manager (fm) has had to prepare a building for a special event-a catch-all term that can include everything from a visit from a political dignitary to city functions within close proximity to a building, such as parades, festivals, and even protests. Building owners and facility managers in Washington, DC were recently handed what may be considered the granddaddy of all special events-the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/articles/fm-issue-securing-office-buildings-for-special-events.php

3. Preserving documents, preserving business
Paper documents are of crucial importance to most organizations, so when water pours through a building from internal piping, external exposure or from a fire brigade drenching in the aftermath of a fire, document recovery plays a vital role in getting the business up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible. After an incident it is often the facilities manager who is expected to provide solutions in case of disaster.
http://facilities-manager.co.uk/total-fm/preserving-documents-preserving-business.html

4. Mass Notification Systems Solutions for a Changing World
An MNS is much more than an alarm system. By using the technologies based on fire alarm codes and standards, fire system manufacturers are able to produce a robust life safety and security system. For the benefit of owners and managers considering an MNS to safeguard a particular building or complex, this article explains mass notification and its origins, the codes and standards' treatment of MNS, and the current cutting-edge technologies that are available.
http://www.facilitymanagement.com/articles/security2-0408.html

5. Disaster response: why fleeing could be fatal
When a high pressure steam pipe exploded at Lexington Avenue and 41st Street a few weeks ago, many building occupants in the surrounding area rushed into the streets to supposed safety. Unfortunately, they ran into air that may have been contaminated with asbestos. Was evacuation the right response?
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3601/is_54_53/ai_n27359957/

6. Facility Management Technology & Disaster Planning / Business Resumption
Facility management (FM) automation can, and should, be a critical part of disaster planning and service resumption. FM information management is often used to store data associated with people (HR), places or locations (CAD/GIS), assets and, increasingly, workflow communication and collaboration. Software can be used to develop, document, test and assist in the execution of disaster planning and resumption processes.
http://www.graphicsystems.biz/gsi/articles/FM_Technology_Disaster_Planning.pdf