What are the most important steps to take when preparing for a wildfire? This question will be increasingly important to businesses in the era of climate change.
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August 20, 2024 INSIDE THIS ARTICLE, YOU'LL FIND: |
Due to climate change, wildfires are becoming an increasingly common threat, especially in regions prone to dry conditions and high temperatures. These natural disasters pose significant risks to businesses, including physical damage to property, operational disruptions, and threats to employee safety. Damage from climate-exacerbated wildfires costs the U.S. as much as $893 billion per year, and the impact they can have on any one business is devastating — according to FEMA, 25% of all businesses close permanently after a disaster.
While the danger is real, the good news is that businesses can take proactive steps to minimize their risk. Being prepared for wildfire season is not just about protecting assets — it's about ensuring the continuity of operations and safeguarding the well-being of employees and the community.
Understanding Wildfire Risks to Your Business
Wildfire risk varies greatly depending on geographical location and industry type. Businesses situated in wildfire-prone areas, such as the western United States, must assess their vulnerability by considering local climate, vegetation, and recent fire history. According to recent statistics, Texas and California typically lead the nation in terms of number of fires per year, while states such as Alaska and New Mexico suffer the most acres burned.
Industry-specific factors also play a role. For example, businesses in agriculture, manufacturing, or logistics might face higher risks due to the nature of their operations and the materials they handle: Agriculture businesses may store dry crops, manufacturing plants might have chemicals or machinery that could catch fire, and logistics companies store large amounts of goods in warehouses. These factors make such businesses more susceptible to wildfire damage, and understanding these vulnerabilities is crucial in tailoring a wildfire preparedness plan that meets their unique needs.
Developing a Wildfire Emergency Plan
A comprehensive emergency plan is the cornerstone of wildfire preparedness. This plan should outline procedures for protecting both people and property and should involve key stakeholders in its development to ensure it meets the needs of the entire organization.
Preparing for wildfire emergencies, like other natural disasters such as hurricanes or crises such as active shooter situations, should begin by asking your team a series of questions. These questions will guide you in identifying the gaps in your protocols and supplies. Some aspects of wildfire response are obvious — if you are near one, evacuate — but many are less so.
These preparation questions should include, but are not limited to:
- During a wildfire, what level of responsibility will you take over your personnel, whether traveling or working from home?
- Have you reviewed your insurance policies and duty of care programs to understand what is and is not covered during a wildfire?
- Which employees live in or are traveling to locations most likely to be impacted?
- Which part of your organization is responsible for personnel accountability?
- How will you communicate with your employees, clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders during an emergency?
- Have you conducted tabletop exercises and other drills to identify your weaknesses and other pain points?
Answering these questions will help you lay out more formal plans, such as an evacuation procedure, communication strategy, and agreements with vendors and providers. An evacuation procedure is useless if the employees aren’t trained to execute it; before you can communicate to your personnel and leadership during an emergency, you need to ensure everyone has access to the tools and applications they need to receive your warnings, updates, and next steps.
An important tenet of resiliency planning is to make the information accessible. This not only means making it widely available to all employees, but creating documentation and assets that are engaging, readable, and easy to digest. We suggest that alongside any in-depth plan is a shortened version that contains all the most valuable information — this document can be adapted to account for current conditions, and does not risk getting shelved when it’s needed most.
Protecting Your People During a Wildfire
When preparing for wildfire season, the safety of your employees is your foremost priority. Protecting people involves more than just having an evacuation plan — it's about ensuring they are well-trained, informed, and supported throughout the entire process.
By fostering a culture of preparedness, you help safeguard lives and build a stronger, more resilient organization. Here are areas to focus on when creating that culture:
- Emergency Training and Drills: Regularly train employees on wildfire evacuation procedures and conduct drills to ensure everyone knows what to do in an emergency. Familiarity with evacuation routes, shelter locations, and communication protocols can save lives. This goes for in-office employees, employees in the field, and those working remotely in wildfire-prone areas.
- Clear Communication Channels: Establish reliable communication systems to provide timely updates. Use multiple channels — texts, emails, and internal alerts — to ensure everyone receives crucial information quickly, and ensure that the right people are receiving the right messaging (e.g., those in immediate danger may receive different updates than those who are not).
- Evacuation Assistance: Consider employees with disabilities or those who may need additional help evacuating. Ensure your emergency plans accommodate their needs, with designated personnel assigned to assist them.
- Real-Time Support: During a wildfire, provide real-time support through welfare checks, supply delivery, and assistance for employees in affected areas. This could include coordinating temporary shelter, providing necessities, or checking in to ensure their safety and well-being.
- Mental Health Support: Wildfires can be traumatic. Offer support services, such as counseling, to help employees cope with the stress and anxiety that may follow a wildfire incident. Ensuring their well-being is critical for their safety and your organization’s resilience going forward.
By prioritizing the safety of your people, you not only fulfill your duty of care but also foster a supportive and prepared workplace that can better withstand the challenges posed by wildfire season.
Protecting Physical Assets During a Wildfire
While people are the priority, many businesses would suffer insurmountable setbacks if their assets were destroyed in wildfires. The physical structure of your business can be fortified against wildfires with some key modifications and maintenance practices.
- Fire-Resistant Building Materials and Design: Consider retrofitting your buildings with fire-resistant materials, such as metal roofing and fire-resistant siding. These materials can significantly reduce the risk of fire damage. Additionally, designing your building with minimal flammable landscaping close to the structure can create a more defensible space.
- Landscaping and Property Maintenance: Creating a defensible space around your property involves maintaining a buffer zone free of flammable materials like dry grass, leaves, and debris. Regularly clearing gutters, trimming trees, and removing dead vegetation can prevent fires from spreading to your buildings.
- Protecting Critical Documents and Equipment: Ensure that critical documents and data are backed up and stored in fire-resistant safes or offsite locations. Important equipment should also be safeguarded or easily transportable in case of evacuation.
Business Continuity Planning for Wildfires
Wildfires pose a significant risk to businesses, potentially disrupting operations and causing financial losses. Effective business continuity planning (BCP) is essential to minimize these impacts and ensure the continuation of critical functions.
Business continuity planning specific to wildfire preparation should include the following documents and actions:
- Risk Assessment: Identify vulnerabilities specific to wildfires, such as proximity to fire-prone areas and reliance on external infrastructure that could be affected.
- Business Impact Analysis: Assess how a wildfire might impact essential operations, supply chains, and customer service. For instance, consider the effects on employees, facilities, and key partners if access routes are compromised or facilities are damaged.
- Strategy Development: Develop contingency plans, including evacuation procedures, alternate work locations, and backup communication systems. Ensure redundant systems are in place to maintain operations if primary facilities are compromised.
- Plan Testing and Maintenance: Regularly test your wildfire-specific BCP through drills and tabletop exercises, particularly with third-party vendors and partners, to ensure every person in each department and external stakeholders knows their role. Update the plan to reflect changes in the business environment, such as new risks or technological advancements.
By preparing for wildfires through a robust BCP, businesses can mitigate risks, minimize downtime, and safeguard their reputation during wildfire season.
Post-Wildfire Recovery for Businesses
Once a wildfire has passed, the recovery process begins. This stage is crucial for getting your business back on track.
Restoring operations as quickly and safely as possible is the goal. This may involve repairing or rebuilding structures, replacing damaged equipment, and reassuring employees and clients of your business's stability.
A thorough assessment of any damage should be conducted as soon as it is safe to do so. Documenting the damage with photographs and detailed records is vital for insurance claims and future planning.
One major step that should not take place during the aftermath of a fire: figuring out what your insurance or coverage includes. That should have been done long before the wildfire hit. Understanding your coverage in advance allows you to act quickly and effectively during recovery, ensuring that your business can get back on its feet as soon as possible. If you're unsure about your current coverage, make reviewing it a priority before disaster strikes.
Every wildfire experience provides lessons that can improve your preparedness for the future. Review your emergency plans, update them based on what worked and what didn’t, and continue to build resilience against future threats.
For further guidance on preparing your business for wildfire season, consider consulting resources provided by government and nonprofit organizations such as FEMA, the Red Cross, and local fire departments. These organizations offer tools and templates that can help you assess risks, develop emergency plans, and ensure your business is as prepared as possible.
In addition to government and nonprofit resources, businesses should consider partnering with duty of care providers. These experts specialize in helping organizations prepare for, withstand, and recover from disasters like wildfires. They offer comprehensive services, from risk assessments and emergency planning to real-time monitoring and post-disaster support. By integrating a duty of care provider into your wildfire preparedness strategy, you can enhance your organization’s resilience, ensure a more efficient recovery process, and support your people who may be impacted by wildfires on an on-going basis. Consider exploring these services as part of your overall disaster management plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the most important steps for businesses to prepare for a wildfire?
To effectively prepare for a wildfire, businesses should develop a comprehensive preparedness plan that includes evacuation routes, communication strategies, and assigned staff responsibilities. Creating a defensible space around the property by clearing vegetation and debris is also crucial. Additionally, upgrading to fire-resistant building materials can significantly reduce the risk of damage.
- How can businesses effectively communicate during a wildfire emergency?
During a wildfire emergency, businesses should have a communication strategy that includes multiple channels such as text alerts, emails, and social media. Establishing a centralized communication point, such as a designated team or individual responsible for updates, ensures that information is disseminated accurately and promptly. Crucially, businesses must update employee data regularly, so that they receive the proper communication at the right email, phone number, or other point of contact.
- How can businesses integrate wildfire preparedness into their overall risk management strategy?
Integrating wildfire preparedness into a broader risk management strategy involves assessing how wildfire risks impact various aspects of operations, from facilities to supply chains. Businesses should conduct a risk assessment to identify vulnerabilities and develop contingency plans that include wildfire scenarios. Regularly reviewing and updating these plans, making your plans accessible and readable, incorporating feedback from drills, and aligning them with other risk management practices ensures that wildfire preparedness is seamlessly integrated into the overall strategy.
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