DISPATCHING DURING SOCIAL UNREST

Over the years there has been varying degrees of social unrest, some have even targeted police stations, and other public safety facilities, including Communications Centers. If you’ve never prepared for an assault on your center, you should add it to your Emergency Operations Plan.  Considering the overall safety and security of your center is critical to providing continued communications throughout difficult or challenging events.  The sense of safety your crew may be experiencing is essential to maintaining operational integrity along with a peace of mind.  Those at work and/or those coming or leaving work could unintentionally place themselves in a precarious situation by driving into a mob.  This unique class offers suggestions for personal preparedness and safety measures before anyone ever leaves their home.  We also discuss professional preparedness such as evacuations, equipment failures, and basic security measures for the center.  Although structural and security of your building and operational equipment, including backup systems remains critical, much more important is the overall feeling of safety experienced by your employees. All employees must have faith in the security of your office because the fear and anxiety they may be experiencing during social unrest situations can and will have an impact on their performance and operational functionality.  Planning for these types of emergencies, should be included in a well-rounded emergency operation plan which covers all the facets for providing safety and security to your employees.  It is about time we all prepared for these difficult events that can impact the feeling of safety for your employees.