Emergency Preparedness & Response

An emergency is a present or imminent event caused by accident, fire, explosion, or technical failure, or by the forces of nature, that requires prompt coordination and action of persons or property to protect the health, safety, or welfare of people or to limit damage to property.

The best option in any emergency is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Being aware of your surroundings can drastically reduce safety incidents and every person who prepares is one less person who panics in a crisis. Consider your work routine and take a minute to think about what steps you can take to prevent a dangerous situation from occurring and what you would do if an emergency were to occur. This is your best option.

When an emergency does occur, take a moment to assess the situation. Below are general procedures to consider in an emergency, and are often the procedures we practice in drills, but keep in mind that anything can happen, making an assessment of your situation always necessary to determine the best course of action. If you're unable to follow the outlined procedures in an emergency there four guiding principles that employees should keep in mind to navigate through a situation:

Emergency Goals and Guiding Principles for All Staff

1. Save lives 

2. Reduce Suffering

3. Notify management

Detailed emergency procedures can be found in the left-hand column.