A Brief Guide to Wildfire Preparedness for Businesses

What is Wildfire Preparedness?

Wildfire preparedness refers to the proactive steps individuals, communities, and businesses can take to reduce the risk of damage during sudden wildfires. Preparing for a wildfire ensures business continuity, defined plans of action, and individual and environmental safety.

Importance of Preparing for Wildfires

The main importance and benefit of wildfire preparedness is ensuring safety and disaster preparedness. In recent years, wildfires have also become more common and more dangerous, affecting more properties, people, families, and business every year. Wildfire season is also occurring earlier and earlier. By preparing for any possible wildfires and other disasters, it can be easier to significantly lower exposure to wildfire risks such as respiratory infections, burns, property damage, and environmental losses.

Wildfire preparedness also involves creating and managing emergency response plans. Communities and businesses that engage in collective wildfire preparedness through plans and simulations can better protect their members and infrastructure from potential wildfires. With the right plans discussed beforehand, people can better know when and how to act in the event of a wildfire safely and efficiently.

What are the Best Practices for Wildfire Preparedness for Businesses?

Like any community, businesses should be prepared for wildfires at all times. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) insists that business plan for wildfires extensively, as wildfires pose significant risks to operations, employee safety, and overall operational continuity. Here are the key reasons why wildfire preparedness is essential:

• Improved employee morale and safety

• Minimized financial losses and operational issues

• Effective business continuity planning

• Compliance with internal, local, and international and safety requirements

To ensure wildfire preparedness and safety, business can do the following:

Create and Implement Emergency Action Plans

Before anything else, businesses should conduct a risk assessment on their location and environment and create emergency action plans for wildfires. Employers have the responsibility to evaluate the business’s location in relation to wildfire-prone areas and assess potential impacts on operations and supply chains. This includes understanding how wildfires could affect access routes and facilities.

Once risk have been identified, detailed wildfire emergency action and evacuation plans should be developed to outline evacuation routes, communication protocols, and assigned responsibilities. This plan should address various scenarios, including road closures and power outages.

Promote Wildfire Preparedness Training

Regularly train employees on wildfire response procedures and conduct drills to familiarize them with evacuation routes and communication protocols. This practice enhances readiness and ensures everyone knows their roles during an emergency. Additional, businesses should continuously review and update training materials to reflect any changes in procedures or communication technologies.

Establish Clear Communication Practices Beforehand

Businesses should have a team assembled responsible for managing communications during a wildfire crisis. These teams can help cascade information and emergency action plans in times of disaster, ensuring safety and open communication at all times. There should also be a centralized point of contact for all communications to ensure consistency and accuracy in messaging.

Manage Emergency Supplies

Even if it is not wildfire season, businesses should regularly manage, maintain, and inspect emergency supplies. Fire extinguishers should be strategically placed throughout the facility and regularly maintained, and employees should be trained in their proper use. First aid kits and disaster bags with essential supplies should also always be inspected to be in good condition, should any emergency arise.

Use Digital Checklists to Streamline Operations and Preparedness

Ensuring wildlife preparedness can be a confusing task for businesses as there are many factors to consider when planning communication plans, evacuation routes, and emergency actions. With digital checklists, businesses can better streamline all wildfire preparedness efforts across multiple locations and levels, ensuring all employees are kept in the loop. Checklists can also help ensure that plans are followed, emergency kits are properly stocked, equipment are working properly, and business continuity plans are in place as planned.

Using a digital checklist is also especially helpful for planning the aftermath of a wildfire. Not only do they help ensure all necessary safety plans are being followed, they also offer a clear, step-by-step guide to follow during the recovery phase, helping businesses systematically address various aspects of restoration without missing crucial tasks. It helps prioritize actions based on urgency and importance, ensuring that critical functions are restored first, and safety concerts are addressed from most to least dangerous.