On the Road to Preparedness

On the Road to Preparedness

Disasters impact the workplace — beyond physical damage, they affect both the people who work there as well as business operations.  After a disaster, workplaces cannot recover without their people and people cannot recover without a job to go back to.  

When it comes to preparing for a disaster, your organization can have influence over employee behavior in important ways. For example, when employees are encouraged by their employers to be prepared for disasters, employees are 75 percent more likely to take action. And with more than 63 percent of the U.S. population aged 16 or older in the labor force, the workplace is one of the most effective environments for educating and encouraging people to take steps to be ready for disasters. Businesses that plan ahead are more prepared, more resilient, and more important, can avoid becoming a statistic. According to FEMA, 40% of businesses never recover after a disaster and 62% of business owners do not have an emergency plan in place. A resilient business is one that can quickly and effectively address adversity. Resilient businesses experience fewer or shorter disruptions caused by a disaster, can resume regular operations sooner, recover faster, and adjust for the future. 

September is National Preparedness Month. Take the time to evaluate your preparedness levels, update your emergency plans, and equip yourself with the necessary tools and knowledge to face adversity. To get your business started on the road to resiliency, FEMA offers excellent resources literally available at your fingertips at Ready.gov/business. There you will find hazard specific Ready Business Toolkits, Ready Business Plans, Trainings and Exercises, as well as other business resources. 

Another excellent way to be prepared is to organize a Business Emergency Response Team (BERT). A BERT program can support and enhance existing capabilities, and BERT employees/volunteers can participate in efforts to increase the preparedness and resilience of the workplace and community. A Workplace BERT program equips employees with skills that enable them to perform basic disaster response operations in an emergency. Having trained staff volunteers available helps protect the health and safety of people at your workplace.  

Workplace BERT employees are trained using the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Training curriculum. The 24-hour FEMA-approved training covers Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Response Team Organization, Disaster Medical Operations, Stop-the-Bleed, Disaster Psychology, Fire Safety and Utility Controls, Light Search and Rescue Operations and response to Terrorism. 

To prepare your employees, the City of Miami Beach Division of Emergency Management offers the CERT/BERT training curriculum. Employers and employees can register for the training by going to the Miami Beach CERT website and selecting which set of trainings that will work with their schedule.  Emergency Management can also work with your business to plan your own set of trainings. If you have questions, please feel free to email CERT@miamibeachfl.gov or call 305.673.7736.