It takes up to 13 minutes for emergency services to reach you
A pregnant employee falls to the floor, unconscious. The fire alarms go off and you smell smoke. You hear gunshots, then screaming, inside your building.
Even if you call 911 immediately, it will take 4 to 13 minutes (possibly longer) before emergency services personnel can arrive.
Yet the first four minutes are the most dangerous.
What most employers don’t get
Your employees are the first responders. Police, fire and EMTs are the official responders.
Before they can reach you, you’re on your own.
It’s your responsibility to know what you must do to protect your people before the official responders can arrive—and how to recover after they’ve gone.
You’re accountable to federal law
As an employer, it’s your legal duty of care to comply with federal law that requires you to plan and train for a multitude of workplace emergencies, including medical, fire and an active shooter.
In addition, you must train all personnel to your entire emergency action plan at least once a year.
Some of the procedures that require planning and training include how to:
- Call 911—it’s not like on TV
- Alert other personnel to the emergency
- Apply first aid, CPR and use an AED
- Evacuate to your assembly areas and account for your people
- Vector emergency responders to the scene
- Brief the incident commander
- Resume operations after the emergency, including if your worksite has become a crime scene
- And more
Emergency Insight
Police, fire and EMTs are not the first responders. They are the official responders. Your employees are your first responders. You’re on your own until they can arrive.
Action step
We can assess the foreseeable emergencies at your workplace, and how your current emergency action plan and training measure up.
Don’t wait until an emergency strikes. Contact us now for a free, no-obligation, 15-minute consultation at
203-563-9999 or BoMitchell@911Consulting.net.