An emergency, by definition, is a horrible event that pounces on you when you don't expect it. You can't predict it, you can't put it on your calendar and you can't set your DVR to record it.
But you can prepare for it.
Your City of Carlsbad Fire Department isn't just in the rescue business; we're in the emergency preparedness business as well.
Forty percent of businesses do not reopen after a disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Another 25 percent fail within one year. Part of our job is to improve those odds.
To help you prepare (and, selfishly, to help us do our jobs when we arrive on the scene of an emergency), here's a list of things you can do before you dial 911, or before your building alarm goes off at 2 a.m.:
• If you have an alarm, update the emergency information with your alarm company. If we respond and see something amiss, water running down from a ceiling, for example, we'll try to call you. If the information on file with the alarm company is outdated and we can't reach you, we will break in, which could add to your grief and expense.
• Consider installing a Knox Box. This is a secure box on the outside of your building that contains a key. The Fire Department has a master key to the box, which is the same for all Carlsbad businesses, but not duplicated elsewhere. You can also store vital information in the box as well, such as contact information and a list of hazardous materials that may be inside.
• Keep an updated list of emergency information for your employees. For large firms, this is usually maintained by a human resources department. If yours is a small businesses or branch office of a larger business, have access to emergency contact information and medical conditions paramedics should know about to help treat a patient.
• If you're a large business, appoint a safety officer and conduct safety drills. Yes, we all have bad memories of school safety drills, but when our emergency crews respond to a fire, they need to know if anyone's still inside. Part of the drill should entail accounting for whomever was at work that day, to know if they got out safely.
• If your business leases space, have contact information for a property manager or building engineer handy. If the emergency involves the physical plant, knowing the right person to talk to can keep damage to your business to a minimum.
• During an emergency, evacuate. Sometimes when the alarm goes off, employees aren't certain there's really an emergency and don't want to leave. We know that. But you don't want employees to be trapped at their work stations if there's an actual fire. Our rule is this: When in doubt, get everybody out.
• If there's a medical emergency and we've been called, designate someone to guide us to the patient. We'll know your address, but maybe not the exact location of the emergency. Having someone point the way can save precious seconds, and maybe even a life.
Your Carlsbad firefighters are trained to keep damage to a minimum, and they keep the survival of your business in mind when they respond to an emergency. Our crews will try to protect computer equipment and files from water and smoke damage to help you recover after the event is over. For home emergencies, we try to save precious personal property, such as family pictures.
We consider preserving those irreplaceable items part of our job, too.
The City of Carlsbad Fire Department can be reached at 760-931-2141.
But you can prepare for it.
Your City of Carlsbad Fire Department isn't just in the rescue business; we're in the emergency preparedness business as well.
Forty percent of businesses do not reopen after a disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Another 25 percent fail within one year. Part of our job is to improve those odds.
To help you prepare (and, selfishly, to help us do our jobs when we arrive on the scene of an emergency), here's a list of things you can do before you dial 911, or before your building alarm goes off at 2 a.m.:
• If you have an alarm, update the emergency information with your alarm company. If we respond and see something amiss, water running down from a ceiling, for example, we'll try to call you. If the information on file with the alarm company is outdated and we can't reach you, we will break in, which could add to your grief and expense.
• Consider installing a Knox Box. This is a secure box on the outside of your building that contains a key. The Fire Department has a master key to the box, which is the same for all Carlsbad businesses, but not duplicated elsewhere. You can also store vital information in the box as well, such as contact information and a list of hazardous materials that may be inside.
• Keep an updated list of emergency information for your employees. For large firms, this is usually maintained by a human resources department. If yours is a small businesses or branch office of a larger business, have access to emergency contact information and medical conditions paramedics should know about to help treat a patient.
• If you're a large business, appoint a safety officer and conduct safety drills. Yes, we all have bad memories of school safety drills, but when our emergency crews respond to a fire, they need to know if anyone's still inside. Part of the drill should entail accounting for whomever was at work that day, to know if they got out safely.
• If your business leases space, have contact information for a property manager or building engineer handy. If the emergency involves the physical plant, knowing the right person to talk to can keep damage to your business to a minimum.
• During an emergency, evacuate. Sometimes when the alarm goes off, employees aren't certain there's really an emergency and don't want to leave. We know that. But you don't want employees to be trapped at their work stations if there's an actual fire. Our rule is this: When in doubt, get everybody out.
• If there's a medical emergency and we've been called, designate someone to guide us to the patient. We'll know your address, but maybe not the exact location of the emergency. Having someone point the way can save precious seconds, and maybe even a life.
Your Carlsbad firefighters are trained to keep damage to a minimum, and they keep the survival of your business in mind when they respond to an emergency. Our crews will try to protect computer equipment and files from water and smoke damage to help you recover after the event is over. For home emergencies, we try to save precious personal property, such as family pictures.
We consider preserving those irreplaceable items part of our job, too.
The City of Carlsbad Fire Department can be reached at 760-931-2141.