Op-Ed: The Best Contingency Plan Is To Be Prepared

All companies should develop contingency plans to address realistic threat scenarios. In certain cases, this will call for evacuating some company personnel. Developing an evacuation plan can be challenging, requiring a breadth of global knowledge and experience. Corporations should begin planning with an honest assessment of recent global events, as well as economic and political conditions in specific regions. When constructing an evacuation plan, consider four important steps:

•Complete preliminary assessment

•Form strategic partnerships

•Maximize public resources

•Utilize communication and practice

Risk Assessment

Begin with a thorough assessment of potential threats as well as the corporation's ability to manage those threats. An assessment should cover all potential short- and long-term risks. Consider:

•What are the most probable risks, and in what situations will these risks require a limited or full evacuation?

•Have any criminal or suspicious activities taken place recently in the area surrounding the foreign office site?

•Can the region be hit by natural disasters, such as hurricanes or flooding?

•Does the corporation have the resources to manage a crisis or evacuation? Are outside resources and personnel needed?

•Is the corporation equipped to educate personnel on evacuation procedures?

Also essential to the risk assessment is evaluating potential roadblocks to evacuation. For example:

•How will evacuation leaders manage possible employee panic or breakdowns in communication?

•Is a backup route in place if the primary route is impeded by the crisis?

•Do leaders have up-to-date knowledge of the number of personnel at the site?

•Will local authorities interfere in any way with the evacuation? Who will act as an intermediary with local agencies?

Strategic Partnering

Corporations with limited knowledge of emergency planning should choose a strategic partner with a demonstrated background in evacuation planning and support. Corporations may choose to partner with a single risk consulting firm or emergency service provider, or join with numerous providers that operate as a team. Corporations often use emergency transportation and protective security providers.

No evacuation plan is of great use unless it includes secure travel from the scene of disaster. In foreign markets, corporations may find that public transportation and commercial flights are unsatisfactory with limited seating and restricted schedules. Selecting reliable providers to supply chartered ground and air transportation is a key component to most evacuation plans. More often than not, these two services will also go hand in hand.

Emergency ground transportation ranges from a bus charter transporting hurricane evacuees to medical transportation to the use of armored vehicles for moving high-level executives. When ground transportation is not enough, private air charter is the ideal solution. What differentiates air charter from other forms of evacuation is its ability to move large numbers of people to locations that would otherwise be unreachable due to an impending crisis. In times of crisis, commercial airline seats will also sell out quickly. Private air charter eliminates this obstacle by offering customized schedules for anywhere from two to more than 2,000 passengers, as well as complete control over those onboard the aircraft.

Securing emergency transportation before disaster strikes can greatly alleviate panic, injury and casualties.

Ensuring the safety of personnel during times of crisis should not be left to local government, particularly during times of political unrest. Whatever your means of evacuation transport, dedicated private protective services could prove to be core to your company's evacuation plan. Protective services entail both onsite personnel and such security technologies as:

•Bodyguard services for executives and other personnel

•Emergency notification and access control systems

•Inflight security personnel

•24/7 security surveillance of the corporate office site

•Onsite personnel to guide evacuees and ensure calm when fleeing natural disaster

Maximizing Public Resources

Just like strategic partnerships, knowledge of current events and security developments will strengthen any group's ability to respond to an emergency. Countless Web sites and publications offer up-to-date information for those working, traveling and living abroad. A few reputable and qualified resources include:

The State Department offers regular updates to its site, www.state.gov, where international travelers and expatriates can view the status of current events in every region of the world. Corporations should also have expatriate employees register on the site so that government officials have current information on each employee's whereabouts, as well as emergency contacts and how each employee can be contacted directly.

The Overseas Security Advisory Council, a constituency of more than 3,500 U.S. companies and other private-sector groups with overseas interests, offers members the latest in safety and security-related information including travel advisories, terrorist group profiles, country crime and safety reports and foreign press reports.

The American Red Cross is often the first on scene both before and after a natural disaster. The Red Cross Web site, www.redcross.org, is an excellent resource offering tips to create an effective disaster plan for businesses or individuals. The site features best practices for developing a plan, how to reduce potential damages, and how to protect personnel in a crisis.

The National Federation of Independent Business is the nation's leading small-business advocacy association. Its site, www.nfib.com, is particularly useful for smaller businesses looking to grow. In its Tips & Tools section, the National Federation of Independent Business offers several articles on how to prepare a small business and its employees for an emergency.

Communication and Practice

Preparation is the greatest tool for risk management. Once an evacuation plan is in place, it must be fully communicated and practiced. This is also an opportunity to reassure personnel that their well-being is of importance to their employer.

Training includes communicating with personnel and rehearsing all emergency procedures. With routine training, employees will develop an automatic crisis response, thus making an evacuation more efficient and manageable.

Managing the growing challenges of an unstable global environment can be an overwhelming but crucial task. An evacuation plan can make all the difference in times of crisis. Implementing the steps above will enhance a corporation's ability to effectively manage a crisis, so begin planning today. Assess potential threats to your organization, whether an impending coup d'état or a hurricane off the coast. If emergency preparation is unfamiliar territory, reach out to those more experienced.

Use the resources at your fingertips and consistently communicate with your personnel. One thing is certain: Employee safety and business security should never be left to chance.