Requiring your staff to be prepared, trained, and ready to deal with emergencies helps our communities to be more self-sufficient, better able to respond, and ultimately more empowered. Simple requirements for staff include:

• Carry a whistle and flashlight – and know the code (1=Yes, 2=No, 3= Help)
• Keep employee emergency contact information updated
• Program cell phones with key contact information, medical data, rally points, etc.
• Have basic safety and preparedness information in wallets, glove compartments, back packs, etc.

Check periodically to make sure that everyone is maintaining this simple level of required preparedness. Have your team track the successes that arise from having these tools with them every day. This will help your employees to be heroes for themselves, their families, and their communities. They will become more confident as they walk the world prepared.

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May 10th, 2010 | Tags: CARD, CUE, employee, Preparedness, require, Safety, staff, whitle and flashlight | Category: 2010, STAT, STAT 5MM | Leave a comment

Healthier, more resilient people are better able to weather the rigors of evacuating, sheltering or simply participating in preparedness activities. Even at your desk, you can adopt healthy behaviors and encourage them in others. Build a culture that supports wellness at work with some fast, easy and low-cost steps. Encourage people to keep stress-busters at their desks (e.g., favorite photos, healthy snack food, inspirational sayings). Invite guest speakers to present topics such as Laughter Yoga, deep diaphragmatic breathing, chair exercise and self-massage, and put links to their messages on desktops. Make resources available, such as books or video, that demonstrate how to exercise, stretch, meditate and be healthy. Some people who actively avoid traditional “disaster” preparedness would be eager to champion a program promoting health and wellness. Prepare for health!

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February 13th, 2009 | Tags: desk, health, staff, work | Category: STAT 5MM | Comments (1)