Crisis- are you READY?

Look, so many of us read daily of others that have suffered through a horrible ordeal. Planes crashing, the economy crashing and other things that make us cringe. The question today is, ARE YOU PREPARED?
So, you can't really prepare for the economy crashing although there are obvious signs and we can talk about that some other time. What I am curious about is are you prepared for an emergency?
Fires, earthquake, floods, any of these things can occur at any given time at any given place, are you prepared?

I'm certainly not talking a flashlight either. When I worked for Walt Disney World, I was asked during my contract to be part of the Emergency Crew. Seeing as how Hurricanes are an extremely likelihood every now and again, Disney has teams created to prepare for just an emergency. They take safety extremely seriously. If you ask any cast member in the world, yes I said the WORLD about safety and they would probably say "Safety begins with ME". They are highly involved in the process and I for one signed my name on that list to assist. I lengthy process to might I add. There are important papers to be signed, waivers of course, merely stating it was my decision to volunteer to assist and if anything should happen to me, Disney would certainly NOT be responsible. Obviously. I wanted to help others. This is exactly what it means to be in the Hospitality Industry.

So, are you ready? Do your teams and team leaders know what to do? Do you have a plan? Are you doing mock emergencies to ensure everyone knows what they are to do? Here is a brilliant list from Lee Cockerell, best selling author and former Walt Disney World Leader on being cool in a crisis:

• Anticipate & Simulate- The absolute worst test is when you are IN a crisis. Anticipation of every single scenario that might threaten your establishment and address everything with your team. Everything from cyber hacking, kidnapping a colleague or a hostage incident. Knowing what your up against and learning the proper technique will save lives and property in the long run.
• Be slow to promise but quick to deliver- Nothing is more horrible than being caught unaware. Crisis response is now a 24/7 reality. Communication is truly the most important factor in any crisis. When Pepsi had their syringe crisis in the 1990's, they swiftly examined exactly where the incident occurred and instead of going into a full panic and halting complete production, they isolated one line in production. 
• Ensure that senior management is available- Do you recall the BP Gulf Crisis? Do you know where the CEO was? Nothing demoralizes a workforce faster than learning second hand of a crisis situation. Your head leader should be the face of ANY situation and should always be available.
• Post Mortem: - Measure for success next time- after you have done a fire drill with the entire property, get together and discuss the successes and the opportunities for improvements. Evaluate truly how well you communicated and act upon the situation. 

Your very next crisis could be an email, phone call or breaking news story away, the question is, are you prepared? As Winston Churhhill said:" Those that fail to learn from from History are doomed to repeat it".