Employee Training

Trained employees can be the difference between life and death in a disaster – particularly one of catastrophic magnitude.

In such an event, first responders – police, fire fighters and EMTs – are not available to residences or individual businesses.  Their priorities are pre-determined to help hospitals, infrastructure, care facilities and the like.  We are on own until additional help arrives – most of the time from out-of-state.

Therefore, local response training is essential to save lives, homes and get businesses up and running sooner, rather than later.

Various skills training is offered by community programs at modest fee, or no cost. It can also be sponsored and hosted by employers.  Trained employees are an asset.  The valuable programs are:

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.  This keynote training is offered in all 50 states, territories and tribal nations. While it is essential to family and community response, it is also considered foundational to business resiliency.  Some of the topics taught are:  light search & rescue, fire suppression, triage skills, etc.

HAM Radio.  Communication is vital as disaster approaches (for those that can be detected ahead of time) and in all cases, in the aftermath.    

Having HAM operators and simple equipment on the premises is of considerable value to business – pushing information out to municipal, county and state emergency organizations and getting reliable information back from those same organizations.   

In the absence of a trained HAM operator(s) and suitable equipment, send an employee to the nearest community gathering place to obtain vital information and pass on the condition of your workplace – the people and the structure.  

For those companies in Salt Lake County, learn the location of the nearest public, district, elementary school for gathering and have some basic knowledge about the S.A.F.E. Neighborhoods catastrophic disaster strategy.  Schools Aid Families in Emergencies.  (S.A.F.E. Neighborhoods article). The public elementary campuses will be a location for basic help – rendered by neighbors-helping-neighbors.  The key mission of the S.A.F.E. program -- in addition to services offered by volunteer CERTs, HAM operators and those rendering care and comfort -- is family reunification – of considerable interest to you and your employees.

Make it a point to know your business neighbors so you can render help to one another.  

Annually, lead all employees in a DROP, COVER and HOLD ON drill – a simple action that has proven to save lives and reduce injuries in a major earthquake. 

Basic First Aid:  Training offered by the American Red Cross can educate your employees to treat simple wounds, identify and treat shock, etc. 

Stop the Bleed is another life-saving training.  It is delivered free-of-charge by the University of Utah, some municipal first responders and others.  It requires just a few hours to train the entire company. 

Terrorist, Active Shooter. Inquire at your municipal police department about this training.   

Fire Drills:  Should be practiced at least annually.  Even better do a fire drill in the heat of summer and the dead of winter each year.