EOCs & Exercises

Companies often focus their emergency response exercises on activating their  Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Don’t get me wrong, the EOC is a necessary part of any emergency response, but it is not the only part. As any good emergency response planner knows, there are many moving parts to a response, and careful consideration should be given to which ones are exercised. After all, most of us do not have unlimited funds to exercise as much as we would like.

First, no newspaper or media outlet in town will ever do a story about how well you executed the activation of your EOC. It just isn’t going to happen. So instead, the media story will, as usual, focus on where the organization failed to respond quickly enough, typically meeting the customer or client’s needs.

For example, if you believed your loved one was on board the aircraft in an airline disaster, where would you go for information? Naturally, the media may be the first to alert you of the event, but where would you go for information? I have asked hundreds of people this question (I know, morbid, right?), and the answer is always the same. I heard two responses; I would go to the airport where I dropped off my family member or call the airline emergency response number provided. I would do the same thing. Seems logical to me.

Knowing the family members will go to the airport or call the airline reservation center tells me where I should initially focus my attention. Airlines drill their stations, and they prepare their call centers, but I bet you they train their EOC more. Yes, the EOC is important, and yes, it needs to be exercised. Still, the front-line employees should be well exercised to field questions and provide answers to the families anxiously awaiting news about what happened to their loved ones. The front-line employees facing the family member or taking their call are just as anxious and scared to deliver the information they have as the family member may be to receive it.

Regardless of your business, take a look at your emergency response plan. Are your priorities company-focused or customer-focused? Where are you most vulnerable? Answer that question, and you will have the template for your next drill!