The lights flicker. There is a growing smell of something burning and suddenly your work space is plunged into darkness. Acrid smoke begins to sting your eyes and interfere with your breathing. Your first thoughts are of fire!
Suddenly your mind is flooded with questions like, Where is the smoke coming from? What’s burning? Where is the fire? How fast will it spread? Is help on the way? What should I do? Should I call someone? Is there a fire alarm anywhere nearby? Should I try to evacuate? What’s the safest escape route? When you left for work this morning you didn’t expect anything like this. Now you’re asking what could be life or death questions and you aren’t coming up with answers.
No one ever expects an emergency – especially one that happens to them. But the reality is that an emergency like fire can happen to anyone at anytime. You and your employees and coworkers could be called upon to answer questions like those listed above when you least expect it.
To protect yourself, your workers and your business, you must have a plan. First, you need a plan to help prevent a fire emergency from happening in the first...