An emergency response plan is a document that outlines the steps an organization will take during a critical event to ensure the safety of employees and minimize the impact on critical operations. Emergency planning aims to prevent emergencies from occurring, and failing that, initiates an efficient action plan to mitigate the results and effects of any emergencies. Every business should develop and implement an emergency plan for protecting employees, contractors, and visitors. The development of emergency plans is a cyclical process, common to many risk management disciplines, such as business continuity and security risk management, wherein recognition or identification of risks as well as ranking or evaluation of risks are important to prepare.

An effective emergency response plan should include a list of individuals to contact (and their contact information), evacuation routes, how to act during an emergency, how to mitigate risk to people and facilities, and detailed communication procedures to follow during and after a specific emergency occurs. The planning phase involves documenting the steps an organization will take in each emergency to ensure a timely response tailored to each scenario. These plans also take the guesswork out of roles and responsibilities by specifying which staff members should be part of the response team and which first responders should be contacted.

To develop an emergency response plan, organizations should consider the following steps:

• Understand what can happen by reviewing risk assessments and considering performance objectives.
• Determine the most appropriate protective action for each hazard to ensure the safety of employees and others within the building.
• Develop protocols and procedures to alert first responders, including public emergency services, trained employees, and management.
• Identify how to communicate with management and employees during and following an emergency.
• Talk with public emergency services to determine their response time to the facility, knowledge of the facility and its hazards, and their capabilities to stabilize an emergency at the facility.
• Determine if there are any regulations pertaining to emergency planning at the facility and address applicable regulations in the plan.
• Develop hazard and threat-specific emergency procedures using the Emergency Response Plan for Businesses.
• Coordinate emergency response planning with other organizations as necessary.