How to prepare for an incident

The guidance below will help you prepare for an incident.

You must ensure that your deputies are aware of Stay Calm on Line.
You and your deputies must be aware of your role and responsibilities in the event of an incident.
You and your deputies must be aware of, and keep up to date, the information contained in the ‘unit plan’ and ‘site and buildings plans’.
You must ensure that you and your deputies are familiar with the range of incidents covered and know how to use the guidance provided.

Your PiC training should have covered Stay Calm on Line but what about training for everyone else? To keep people safe everyone needs to know what to do in an emergency.
Throughout Stay Calm on Line you will see reference to the PiC and their deputies, Work Area Managers, Fire Wardens, First Aiders and Receptionists. In an emergency situation these people need to come together as a ‘virtual team’ to keep people safe and manage the incident. This will not happen unless they have an opportunity to train together as a team.
Every 12months, preferably just before your evacuation fire drills, you must ensure that your ‘virtual team’ come together and that you ‘walk them through’ their roles and responsibilities as defined within Stay Calm on Line. Note: It may be necessary for each shift to hold its own meeting to ensure no one misses out.
You and your deputies also need to know how to respond to specific incidents that may not require an evacuation such as suspect items so make sure they know how to use the guidance provided in section 4.

Your 12 monthly fire drills are also a really good opportunity to give everyone in your ‘virtual team’ a chance to put into practice the training and briefing they should have received.
Note: Every shift should hold its own drill to ensure that no one misses out.
Practice completing the ‘incident log’. Its there to help and guide you.
As soon as your drill is over hold a debrief session with your ‘virtual team’. How did it go? What can be improved? Were there enough fire wardens?

Central Postal Control deals with issues on a regular basis and will be able to talk you through how to deal with any situation.