Emergency Chain of Command

Emergency Chain of Command

Sunday, July 17, 2011 1:00 AM
by Chris Kilbourne

If you are faced with an unforeseen emergency at work, such as a fire or explosion, you don’t want to waste precious moments trying to figure out what to do and who to listen to. That’s why all workplace emergency plans have a chain of command that links one person with overall responsibility for managing an emergency to others responsible for carrying out specific tasks.

At the top of the chain is the emergency scene commander, a trained employee who will issue orders to others during the emergency. This person might be a facility manager, emergency director, or some other supervisor. His or her responsibilities will include:

Assessing the incident to determine if it requires an emergency response.

Supervising emergency scene coordinators (volunteer employees that are trained in various emergency tasks)

Coordinating professional responders, such as ambulance, police, and fire departments

Directing shutdown of critical workplace equipment or operations

Determining if an evacuation is necessary and managing an evacuation

Emergency scene coordinators should be assigned responsibility for about 20 employees within a particular work area. They should know how to respond to the emergencies that may occur at your worksite, the evacuation procedures, and how to use emergency communication equipment. They should also be trained in CPR, first aid, and how to respond to threats of violence. Some of their responsibilities should include: