Every company wants that outcome yet it is incredibly elusive for many. There always are good intentions in drill planning but rarely do those intentions translate into the optimum results we hope for. There are root causes for this. Here are six best practices that will help you overcome pitfalls in fire-drill planning, execution and evaluation.
View drills as an investment: Fire drills are more than a compliance requirement; they are a real opportunity to educate your workforce on emergency response, evacuation and operational continuity. The best fire drills will include training elements before and after the exercise. Each drill should have measurable results that make fine-tuning for future drills easier. Selection of a quality fire-drill checklist will standardize your documentation efforts and provide key data points that management will want to evaluate. A checklist should include an evaluation or rating system to account for performance level.