Be honest: When was the last time you read the safety card in the airplane seat pocket, reviewed the office evacuation wall chart, or even looked at where the exit signs are in a bar or theater?
Recent violent incidents at churches, synagogues, bars, and retail stores, as well as the growing number of powerful hurricanes and wildfires have made us all more aware of the need for emergency evacuation procedures and drills.
Communicators have an opportunity to take advantage of the current awareness and help us all to be more alert and responsive. CommCore has commented on the creative efforts of airlines to get us to pay attention to their safety announcements.
- Use the spate of recent incidents to meet with your security, safety and business continuity personnel to figure out creative ways to communicate safety emergency procedures rapidly to the entire organization. Security and safety plans shouldn’t reside in a silo.
- Drill, Baby, Drill! Include communicators in any crisis response simulations and planning. People lagging at their desks because they are too busy to leave — when everyone else is participating in a safety exercise — is a recipe for disaster.
- Look for additional resources for getting an impactful safety message out. The Department of Homeland Security has suggestions for issues like bomb threats. OSHA publishes an Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool.
- Hold an internal town hall with safety and communications leaders to listen to employee inputs. They may come up with new threats like locked doors or alarms that are out of commission, as well as innovative solutions.
- Make sure everyone knows how to access and initiate emergency procedures in an instant. Employees should know how to access cloud-based alert protocols at any time, or a proprietary safety app on their mobile device in case power or IT systems are down.
When a New York City office was evacuated after a bomb threat, a media executive said, “I promise not to ignore the fire and safety drills anymore. I have renewed respect for those that work hard for our safety.”