Business Management
Dedicated to keeping its members at the forefront in their industry
The Insulator • June 2026
28
 (continued from pg 27)
continuity, (Go to sba.gov, then click on 
“Business Guide,” then “Manage Your 
Business” and “Prepare for Emergencies.”) 
Yet another resource is the National Fire 
Protection Association (nfpa.org) which offers 
guidelines for fire safety and risk mitigation.
“There are also benefits to joining the National 
Emergency Management Association 
(nemaweb.org) and participating in its private 
sector committee activities to learn about useful 
resources,” said Bailey Farrell, Senior Director, 
Project Management at AC Disaster Consulting. 
Local organizations can also help. “Many 
city and state emergency management 
agencies, chambers of commerce, and small 
business development councils (SBDCs) 
have put together tools and templates, and 
even technical assistance, for different types 
of emergency plans and risk assessments,” 
said Kates. “They are attuned to the specific 
hazards common to a region.”
Finally, an organization’s insurer can provide 
useful information. “Companies should take 
advantage of an insurance company’s expertise 
based on its experience with other operations in 
the same region,” said Peterson. 
Bonus tip: Involve your staff. “Too many 
businesses ignore input from their employees 
during emergency response planning,” said 
Davis. “Front line personnel can often suggest 
practical procedures that will mitigate harm 
from severe events.” 
Involve employees
As the above comments suggest, the details of 
disaster recovery plans will vary to reflect local 
risk categories and resources. Most, however, 
will include basics such as the location of a 
temporary office relocation site, backups of 
business data, and redundancies for services 
such as data processing and power generation.
The prudent plan will also address the 
importance of preparing the staff to respond 
appropriately and quickly when a disaster 
strikes. “Everyone needs to understand what 
the plan is for different types of emergencies,” 
said Kates. One of the first steps is to 
communicate information about the event to 
employees, customers and suppliers. 
Too often though, operational disarray keeps 
the word from getting out. “Businesses often 
discover they have not planned for efficient 
communications when disaster strikes,” said 
Davis. “Indeed, a breakdown in communication 
is the most common cause of business 
disruption.” 
continued on pg.29
ARE YOU 
PREPARED FOR 
DISASTER?
Will your business survive a disaster such as a fire, 
hurricane, or windstorm? Find out by taking this quiz. 
Give yourself 10 points for each “yes” answer to these 
questions. Then total your points. 
Have you. . . 
1.	 PERFORMED A REGIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT?
2.	DEVELOPED AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN?
3.	SOUGHT INPUT FROM YOUR CITY OR COUNTY?
4.	INVOLVED EMPLOYEES IN DEVELOPING THE PLAN ?
5.	ARRANGED FOR CONTINUAL DATA BACKUP?
6.	PREPARED A “CALLING TREE” FOR POST-DISASTER 
COMMUNICATION?
7.	TRAINED EMPLOYEES ON EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES?
8.	IDENTIFIED A REMOTE SITE FOR TEMPORARY QUARTERS?
9.	PREPARED A LIST OF VENDORS FOR EMERGENCY REPAIRS?
10.	 REVIEWED INSURANCE FOR SUFFICIENT COVERAGE OF UNIQUE 
RISKS?
What’s your total score? Over 80: You are in a safe 
zone. Between 60 and 80: Time to dust off your 
emergency plan. Below 60: Take steps now to get 
your recovery plan up to speed.

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.