Emergency Management Planning
Effective Emergency Management Arrangements

are a requirement of States Health and Safety Legislation, Emergency Services and other Regulatory Authorities, for example Environmental Protection Authorities.

All organisations should have written On Site Emergency Plans, which will contain:

Emergency Management Policy
Emergency Control Organisation Structure
Alarm system arrangements
Emergency contacts
Response procedures
Site drawings which include evacuation routes and assembly areas
Incident recording and reporting media
Debriefing media

The process in developing an On Site Emergency Plan is:

Create an Emergency Control Organisation (ECO)
Select an Emergency Planning Committee (EPC)
Identify emergency types by hazard identification and risk assessment including
security exposures
Draft dot point emergency response procedures for the emergency types
Conduct formal emergency management training for ECO members
Conduct a tabletop exercise to confirm response and recovery procedures
Practise response procedures with the emergency services
Review and manage plans

For many organisations a significant part of an On Site Emergency Plan might be security response procedures that have been developed for such things as:
hold up
extortion
 threatening communication
intruders
sabotage
and so on.

Often these procedures will be circulated only to those with a need to know. They are, however an integral part of Emergency Management Arrangements. Security exposures must be identified, their levels of risk reduced as far as practicable (often with professional assistance) and appropriate response procedures written and practised.

In some States an Occupier of a premises at which certain quantities of dangerous goods are kept must prepare plans to assist in handling of any emergencies on the Site. These plans are called Off Site Emergency Plans.

Off Site Emergency Plans provide the responding Fire Authority with:

Site drawings which include:
The location and class of dangerous goods and a detailed manifest
Details of structures/access/egress
Location of installed fire protection equipment
Provision for spill containment (bunds, drains)
and any other relevant detail

Written information on:
Alarm systems, Warden structures, evacuation routes and assembly areas
Emergency contacts
and any other relevant technical information

Material Safety Data Sheets

Off Site Emergency Plans are typically produced in the form of an Emergency Information Book which is placed in an Emergency Information Container at the entrance to a premises. In some States (Victoria for example) these plans will have been agreed with and approved by the Fire Authority during the dangerous goods compliance process.

The Off Site Emergency Plans draw emergency contact, Warden structure and alarm system detail from the On Site Emergency Plans.

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