The recent tragedy of the cruise ship Costa Concordia serves as a vivid reminder to those of us in the events industry that we need to prepare for possible emergency situations at our events. I’ve been involved with events since 1978 (there were no child labor laws back then). Since that time, I’ve seen a plethora of incidents occur: Heart attacks, Childbirth, Injuries, Suicide, Public intoxication, False Fire alarms, Fires (with real flames), Property damage, Flooding, Public fightingFirst step – Analyze what risks are likely to occur during your event.
You are not going to be able to plan for every contingency. I was working at an event this past August, when the east coast earthquake struck. To be honest, we hadn’t planned for the earthquake as one of the possible incidents. But we were able to adapt our planning that we had done on how to evacuate in case of other emergencies.
Second step – Develop an emergency procedures plan.
What is the chain of command? Where is all of your event team staying? What steps need to be done to mitigate further damages or injury. Be sure to share this plan with your supplier partners as well. There are several simple steps that you can take to minimize your risks in several areas.
While on site at an event, walk the necessary evacuation routes to ensure that all are passable. This should be repeated daily. One time, we had a room change overnight and this is what was found the next day. Medical emergencies are probably the most common situations that occur at events. Most venues provide or require organizers to have some medical coverage.
If you do multiple events a year, consider purchasing a portable Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) machine and get trained how to use it. Have you considered taking a basic first aid course? The Red Cross offers training at many local community colleges at minimal cost.
I am going to let you in on a little secret. I am out of shape (really). My family has a history of heart disease. I really, really would not mind having many people, who know basic first aid and how to use an AED, hanging out around me at most industry events. One more thing, there are Good Samaritan laws to protect those that come to the aid of others.
Do you serve alcohol at your events? Depending on where you are located, there could be laws that could make you liable as the host if the guest were to cause harm to others due to intoxication. Make sure that your servers have had some form of alcohol awareness training. Better yet, consider taking the course yourself – approximately $50 and 4-5 hours will get you a three year certification from a program like TIPs (Training Intervention Procedures). Spending some time prior to your events to minimize risks and plan for contingencies will save you time and money in the long run.
Note: This post was originally published by me on January 20, 2011 at Liz King Events, where I am a guest blogger.
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