Author: John Joines
FM Issue: September/October 2018
In our industry, emergency situations are inevitable. From minor slips, falls, cuts, and bruises, to major life safety situations, we will all encounter an emergency event at some point in our careers. While our goal as facility managers is to prevent such incidents from happening in the first place, being prepared to respond effectively and efficiently when they do is imperative to operating a safe and successful venue. How we accomplish this is unique to the size and scope of our individual spaces; however, the following core principles remain consistent regardless of your particular situation:
- Create a detailed emergency plan, including a comprehensive evacuation plan and continuity of operations plan.
- Practice/drill your plans regularly.
- Provide the necessary tools and supplies to adequately respond to a variety of emergencies.
Understanding that we likely will not be able to prevent all emergencies from occurring, being prepared to respond is our best recourse to ensure a safe and secure environment for our guests, fellow employees, and contract partners. One the best and easiest ways to do this is to procure comprehensive emergency kits and install them throughout your venue. With proper training, these kits will be the fastest and most efficient way to immediately respond to an accident or emergency where basic medical care needs to be rendered.
Recognizing a need to be prepared for all types of incidents, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) developed a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) for all of its properties. Part of that plan was the procurement of rapid response trauma kits that would be suitable for a number of situations. Several kits are available for purchase, and a simple Internet search will provide a plethora of options that are suitable for emergencies and venues of all sizes.
The MCCA decided on Fieldtex Trauma Bags to outfit their facilities in Boston. The bags are light weight, easy to deploy, and offer a comprehensive kit with more than enough tools to effectively respond to a variety of incidents. MCCA Public Safety officers are trained on how to use the majority of the contents in the kits, and they are placed throughout their venues so they may be readily available at a moment’s notice. The kits also include advanced tools for trained medical professionals and first responders who may need to rely on tools other than their own.
In addition to the multiuse kits mentioned above, the MCCA Public Safety Department recently completed training for the national Stop the Bleed campaign. For those not familiar with the program, Stop the bleed is a nationwide initiative to educate the public in bleeding control for serious trauma wounds and emergencies before professional help arrives. The training covers the proper use of a tourniquet and how to properly pack and apply pressure to wounds such as gunshots or other trauma injuries where blood loss may be significant. The two-hour training consists of general information regarding bleeding control and hands-on experience handling the tools needed to Stop the Bleed. Information on the program and training can be found at https://www.dhs.gov/stopthebleed or https://www.bleedingcontrol.org/ .
Training your first responder staff is just the tip of the iceberg in effective emergency management and response. The next step is pushing emergency training and initiatives out to your venue’s entire staff, and even educating your guests and attendees on how they too can assist in the prevention and response to emergencies. Training for staff should include anything from simple recurring drills of emergency procedures and evacuation plans, to more in-depth initiatives such as CPR/AED certification and Stop the Bleed. Educating guests and attendees can be a little more complicated, without the captive audience you may have with your staff, but it can be done! Literature, digital media throughout your venues, and permanent signage are all great ways to provide the tools everyone entering your facilities needs to survive an emergency. To take that education further, public access AED machines, and trauma and bleeding control kits can also be installed in guest-facing areas to encourage their use when needed.
As part of the Stop the Bleed program initiated at the MCCA, public access bleeding control kits were installed across all of their Boston facilities a few months ago. The kits were conveniently installed next to pre-existing AEDs inside and outside of their venues to create a one-stop shop of sorts for emergency response. Much like the trauma kits covered earlier, bleeding control kits can be easily found through your favorite search engine on the internet. The MCCA opted to use 8-pack units from North American Rescue for its venues. Additionally, belt-worn individual bleeding control kits were purchased for all Public Safety officers in the organization.
After reading this article and researching some of the products mentioned herein, I’m sure the looming question is “How am I going to pay for all of this?” You’ll get no disagreement from me that safety and security equipment and training can be very expensive, and difficult to justify in some cases. However, much like an insurance policy, you don’t know you need it until you need it! With that said, there is some relief out there if you are willing to go after it. Local and Federal Government programs offer a variety of grants to help supplement the costs for emergency management equipment and training programs. For more information on these programs, I suggest looking into FEMA, DHS, and your local public safety and emergency management offices. It’s difficult to put a price on preparedness and life safety, so take the time to see what’s out there and apply, apply, apply!
John Joines is director of public safety for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.
