Digitizing emergency operations plans can make all the difference in ensuring occupant safety during large gatherings or in the event of emergencies, like weather-related disasters or active shooter situations, according to Shannon Torres, customer success manager for 911inform, a notification and security management platform.
While you can never fully prepare for the multiple layers of security concerns that crowd management and unexpected attendance surges present, security technology like 911inform can provide “a game changer for professionals and really modernize the way you conduct your threat assessments,” said Torres, who previously served 27 years on the police force for the borough of Keyport in Monmouth County, New Jersey, including time as the chief of police.
An essential first step to ensuring your staff are in the best position to respond in these situations is performing a comprehensive threat assessment, according to Torres. While there are plans available that can be used as templates, it is critical to make the plans specific to each individual event or facility, she said.
“That means identifying all potential vulnerabilities based on physical layout and expected attendance, and including facility managers, event coordinators and security personnel,” Torres said. “And then you go deeper than that, to how [an event or situation] is going to affect the traffic flow. So you’ve got to identify your choke points and establish clear sight lines for security personnel.”
These plans can greatly improve the response times in an emergency, Torres said. “However, we are all human, and there's no way that you're walking around with an emergency action plan. And as a facility coordinator or security personnel, if that regular security person is out sick, what happens?” she said.
“You have a backup. So you have to have all your documents readily accessible in one place. Organization is a key, and that's what digital technology does … It puts it on one single pane of glass, so that it not only organizes it, but it makes it more user friendly,” Torres said. “You don't have to log on to this app and log on to that. It's not intimidating anymore. It serves as the backbone for your incident command system during the emergency. It allows us to pre-plan and enhance our response, but it also allows you to … help protect your community.”
But you can not rely on technology alone, Torres said. “Technology combined with training is the key to maintaining order during critical incidents.”
