Share
In this article we give you 5 tips for alerting your emergency response organization. The alert of your company emergency response organization is the start of every incident. If the alarm is not or badly organized, the entire emergency response team will not take action and your emergency response training will be in vain. Some companies spend a lot of money on expensive and extensive training, this is important for a good bet. In the company emergency plan you think about the method of alerting your emergency response organization. Large companies and municipalities opt for a separate alarm system. Small and medium-sized companies, for example, combine alarms and communication.
1. Make a distinction between alarms and communication
If we look at communication tools for emergency response organizations, we see that these communication tools can be divided into two crucial parts. The first part is alarm and the second part is communication. Without an alarm there is no communication and without communication the deployment will not run smoothly. In small organizations you can combine alarm and communication by using a walkie-talkie for both processes, for example.
2. Choose a reliable alarm system
A reliable alarm system ensures that emergency responders can be alerted at all times. Emergency response officers can be alerted via WhatsApp, one emergency response app or a traditional calling system. It is also possible to use a combination of these products. Modern calling systems support both traditional pagers and apps. In this way you have a combination of the best products. For example, the emergency response app gives you the option to keep track of automatic presence or share your location. A traditional paging system, on the other hand, will continue to operate in the event of major power and network outages and / or fire in the building. With a reliable system you have the best of both worlds.
3. Disconnect the fire panel
A fire is usually the first to be detected by a fire alarm system. Not all fire alarm systems are linked to the fire service, which means that the emergency response team will have to search first. With a link to the fire alarm system (via ESPA 4.4.4.) You are immediately informed of a calamity and you can see on your app or two-way radio where the fire is. It is possible to answer immediately and thereby confirm the fire to, for example, the fire brigade.
4. Exercise regularly
Practice makes perfect. The alarm of your emergency response organization will not be started often. This is the reason why you should practice this procedure. Even experienced firefighters sometimes need some time to go through all the procedures properly when leaving the barracks. On average, an emergency response officer has fewer deployments than a professional emergency service and must therefore practice this procedure well. With a checklist you can prevent crucial processes from being forgotten.
5. Evaluate the alarm
After each incident, it is important to evaluate it and determine together whether the current alarm structure and systems are still appropriate for the organization. You can combine this evaluation with a full incident evaluation. Include at least the following points in this: speed of emergency response, decisiveness of emergency response, expertise of emergency response, cooperation, deployment tactics and training.