Weather-Related Emergencies

Facility emergency plan for fire, chemical, medical, and weather-related emergencies. 

Warehouse Emergency Procedures for Fire, Chemical Spill, Medical, and Weather. A good emergency plan covers all of the possible events that could occur in a warehouse. It is very important that new employees understand the basic procedures to follow if a fire of any size breaks out, if a chemical spill occurs in a work area, if a medical emergency arises, and if a tornado, earthquake, or any other serious weather-related emergency arises. 

We pointed out earlier that most emergency plans address fire, medical emergencies, and the accidental release or spills of hazardous materials. Note that the development of emergency response plans should also factor in other possible emergencies— natural disasters, floods, explosions, and/or weather-related events that could occur and certainly will occur. Now, emergency response to terrorist activity or threats must also be added to the list. 

Among the data provided are the identity of the material(s), amount of material stored (average and maximum), conditions of storage (temperature, pressure, type of container), and location within the facility where the material is kept. This report is intended to provide the necessary information to enable the community to respond to a chemical emergency in the most effective manner. A chemical emergency could take the form of a fire or explosion, a weather-related situation, or an act of God such as an earthquake or flood. 

All emergency operations (including but not limited to medical evacuations, weather-related evacuations and emergency shutdown operations) ... 

School administrators must deal with weather-related school delays and dismissals on a yearly basis. Weather conditions are a primary issue for pupil transportatiou safety because of conditions possibly worsening while the routes are iu service. Policies and procedures need to be directed around safety of the students in regard to transporting students into dangerous road conditions. School districts must have plans in place to deal with emergency weather and roadway situations. Reconunendations from the National School Safety and Security Services related to emergency situations include ... 

Establish emergency preparedness guidelines from an all hazards approach, covering both natural disasters (weather related, for example) and manmade acts of crime and violence. 

Facility emergency plans. These should include plans for handling medical, chemical, weather, and fire-related emergencies in the warehouse. Annual fire drills should take place along widi training enqiloyees and supervisors in first aid and CPR. 

Promptly report any delays due to breakdowns, weather or traffic conditions or other emergencies, or in the event of irregularities relating to pickup or delivery of cargo. 

Situational awareness refers to a persons knowledge of the situation as related to the evolving state of the event environment. Situation assessment during emergency response and recovery combines information about incident geography, topography, weather, hazard or hazard impact, and resource data. This assessment provides a foundation for decision making (Table 7.3). 

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