I couldn't do it.

Not because crisis management is not important - it is critical.

Not because my definition of "crisis" is synonymous with "chaos."

Not because I anticipated a case of stage fright.

I couldn't give the talk because I believe crisis management is an integral part of a Business Continuity plan; it can not, it must not, be separated from the plan

Whether you believe, as I do, that a "crisis" equates to "chaos," or that it simply is the "acute" stage of an event (e.g. the rescue effort in the first moments after the collapse of the twin towers in New York), the result is the same - the "crisis management" activity should be planned and included in the Business Continuity plan.

The only way to avoid chaos - and since I'm writing this, that is how we'll equate "crisis" - is through training.

Training.

Training.

And more training.

Training is the key - for everyone

The military knows this.

Hospital emergency room staffs know this.

Fire and police departments know this.

Workers at nuclear facilities know this.

Training is the one thing that prevents an event from getting out of hand; from having skilled people become counter-productive because they get into each other's way,

Training to such an extent that it is almost a way of life; reactions are automatic.

For the Business Continuity plan, training is more than employee orientation to show the new troops where to find the emergency exits. Training is making certain all employees know the procedure to report an event and making certain the procedures work.

---

Example: The procedure is to report a fire to the switchboard operator. The operator then (a) announces the event and orders an evacuation, (b) alerts the internal fire fighting team [if there is one], and (c) calls the local fire department.

---

The procedure is fine - evacuate the building to protect lives, fight the fire with local trained resources until the fire brigade arrives with the heavy duty equipment.

But, let us imagine the switchboard operator is on a break and the board is unattended; calls are routed to voice mail if the caller lacks the number of the called party.

You play the "what if" game with this scenario.

Hall monitors and other discoveries

Training goes beyond the Disaster Recovery and Continuation teams; it has to include everyone in the company, from the clean-up crews to the C*Os.

Training exercises usually are the best, and the least expensive, ways to find "holes" in any plan.

Returning to the earlier example - after you, as the plan and training manager watch people bump into each other heading for exits and do a slow burn when you see the one or two people who never, ever, take things seriously linger at their desks, you realize it is time to do some "elementary" thinking - elementary as in elementary school and hall monitors.

Someone needs to play traffic cop to direct people to an exit. This is especially important when smoke starts to fill a room - two things happen: panic, your worst enemy, and confusion - is the nearest exit really the best exit?

---

Which brings up the issues of bright emergency lighting and radio communications among the hall monitors which, by extension, begs the question: are these battery-operated devices fully charged all the time? Or even, do the hall monitors have the radios with them all the time they are in the building? And who has the equipment when the hall monitor is not in his or her work area (lunch, meetings, time off, vacation, etc.). Playing the "what if" game can be challenging and always is interesting. Think outside the box.

---

Every planner knows the Disaster Recovery team needs practice. Planners develop training methodologies as part of the Business Continuity plan. (If the planner is smart and if the organization has a training group, the planner will utilize the group's expertise to develop both the methodology and the exercises.)

Training cost-benefit

Sadly, many planners fail to realize - or fail to emphasize to management - that everyone needs training; that training is one of the many ways to mitigate a risk, to reduce a disaster event to an inconvenience. That, after all, is what Business Continuity planning is all about.

Training has a cost.

Training exercises take people away from their productive (money-making) tasks.

Training exercises disrupt trains of thought.

Training exercises can be disconcerting.

But, training exercises also can eliminate loss of life and reduce damage to a facility.

How much is a life worth?

How much income will be lost trying to sustain operations following a disaster event that might have been limited if only someone what known what to do?

On a crass level, what is the PR hit if someone is injured or dies because they didn't know how to escape? If you think this is a false concern, think about the people who ordered the fire exits locked in the twin towers.

This article touches only the training aspect of survival.

The "extras" that vary by organization have to be discovered by the planner on site. The extras, however, can include a "badge board" where people who go into a dangerous environment hang their ID badges.

Why? In the case of an explosion, rescue teams are able to see - by the badges on the badge board - if anyone is inside in order to know how to react (e.g. let matters run their course or risk additional lives entering a hazard site.

Another planner who played the "what if" came up with this plan for a company that makes airbags for cars; the airbags are activated with Class A explosives and the site is a research/test area with a substantial supply of explosives on hand.

Bottom line

A Business Continuity plan is a plan made up of numerous critical components. I would argue that all Business Continuity plan components are critical - I can (and have) made cases for plan maintenance as a critical element.

Training - and in this case, training beyond the Disaster Recovery and Continuation teams - can make the difference between a disaster event and a disaster. Everyone needs training, from the custodians to the C*Os.

Anything less is a disaster waiting to happen.