One recurring question that stood out to us the most was “how do we ensure we have the information necessary to accurately account for site population while either the site personnel or the incident management team is offsite?” Here are some of our customers’ insights and experiences you might also find quite illuminating:
First, “what if we have to account for every badge holder outside the fence line because a full site evacuation is required?”
The real-life incident was quite serious, a tank explosion. The response scenario involved getting more than 1,000 people completely out of the fence line and to an evacuation area that was a safe distance from the explosion. Because the site’s leadership had planned ahead, they were able to use our hand-carry devices and account for 100% of these people off site while seeing the full accountability in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Another question was “what if the senior incident command person is offsite when the incident occurs?”
In this case, the incident occurred on a Saturday morning and the site’s senior EHS person was at home. Because the site chose AllClear and planned ahead, the site’s senior EHS person was able to access the real-time incident data from home as things unfolded. He was able to provide real-time information and instruction to the onsite incident manager and guided the site to 100% accountability.
There are other incidents during which preparing an offsite strategy may be key. Examples include an offsite EOC for severe weather (Hurricane Ride Out Center), major regional issues such as a multi-site fire in an industrial area, or a neighborhood shelter in place may also require off-site personnel to access onsite data and provide accountability in real-time.
Our customers handle combustible chemicals, pressurized processes, and materials that can be toxic. They deal with major weather events, explosions, and fires. Because we work with such high-hazard facilities, the mission of emergency readiness is one we take very seriously. This requires us to listen carefully to our customers and ask, “what if” as often as practical. What’s your site’s “What if” scenario? Give us a shot to solve it for you.