The American Red Cross is closely monitoring the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and following the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
We know this is a stressful time and people want to know what they can do right now to protect themselves and their families. That’s why the Red Cross is highlighting some everyday health and preparedness steps that people in the U.S. can take now.
Determine which hazards you should plan for and prioritize continuity planning for your organization.
This worksheet will help you determine which hazards to plan for, based on probability.
Membership and Meeting Guide
Emergency response planning requires involvement from all areas of the business. This document provides considerations for establishing your planning committee and sample agendas for initial planning and subsequent meetings.
Printable Tools to Improve Organizational Preparedness
Use these printable tools to create and provide personnel a condensed version of your emergency action plan and an easily accessible emergency contact card.
Adapt the Preparedness Calendar to Your Organization's Specification
This document serves as a tool to manage and schedule recommended activities related to your organization’s preparedness and resiliency. It includes assessment, maintenance, and training activities related to emergency response and business continuity.
Outline and worksheet to help key personnel improve their ability to assess an emergency situation.
This resource provides a series of important questions and accompanying worksheet for consideration following an incident or event. It helps assess the current situation and supports the decision-making process during time of incident. Most simply put, situational awareness can be described as “knowing what is going on around you”. All too often emotional reactions, shock and chaos can ensue after an incident and for those individuals responsible for an organization it is important to maintain situational awareness and have accurate documentation of the crisis. You can also leverage this form to record events or critical decisions and the time/date they occurred. Be sure that all documentation is accurate and legible.
Briefing Guide for Key Decision Makers and/or Executive Team Members
This document provides an approachable framework for the Executive Team (or key decision-makers) with an overview of the activities that have taken place to support and enhance the organization’s preparedness and resilience planning. The report should be delivered by the individual responsible for business continuity with input from various departments that support the role and responsibilities. This brief should provide an Executive Team with a deep understanding of the organization’s resilience and allow them to make critical decisions when making improvements to their emergency response plans.
Back Up Strategies for Key Management and Decision Makers
A disaster can impact more than just infrastructure and operations. It is critical that organizations also consider and plan for the potential impact to personnel. This document provides suggestions and best practices to ensure you have qualified back up for key personnel.
Document Resource Dependencies For Essential Processes
Organizations operate within a network and if any part of that network stops functioning the whole thing has problems. Therefore, it is important to work together to ensure that all of your partners are able to function well after a disaster.
Document Essential Processes and Resources
This form will help you document essential business processes, the resources they depend upon, and the steps for recovery those processes in the event of a disruption. Combine this with your contact lists for essential personnel, suppliers, vendors, and business partners for a complete Business Continuity Plan.