Asset Protection When an Emergency Situation Arises,

Asset Protection

When an emergency situation arises, quick action is imperative in order to protect assets and minimize losses. A security supervisor bears the burden of ensuring that a disaster management plan is effectively carried out, but he or she cannot act alone. The supervisor must coordinate with state and federal agencies that become involved in larger disasters. Special events may also necessitate coordination and collaboration with other groups that are involved in the organization and administration of the event (Innace, 2008). Security directors can effectively manage emergencies by developing a plan ahead of time in conjunction with others that may be involved in the case of such an emergency. They should also implement the incident command system and media relations.

In preparation for an emergency, the security supervisor should identify priorities including minimizing the number of victims and extent of harm that comes to them and protection of the business assets (O'Dell, 2008). The security supervisor should also identify legal and medical obligations as this will impact what he or she must do during an emergency situation. For example, a medical problem may arise in the context of questioning a suspect and the security director may need to perform certain actions in order to discharge his or her obligations to the employer and under the law. (Hill, 2008)

Coordination with agencies that will be responding to an emergency is imperative for a company's security director. Within the organization, the security director should assign roles to his or her staff including where they will be posted and what their functions will be (Innace, 2008). Outside of the agency, the security director should work with other involved parties to make a plan that delineates the responsibilities of each group and the chain of command. By making such a plan, potential conflicts about who should make the determinations under time pressure and who should be reported to will be prevented by hammering out the details ahead of time.

The Incident Command System (ICS) is a useful tool for emergency management and response. It has a predetermined chain of command and the common terminology that it uses can prevent confusion in communications between the involved responders. While it was originally designed to be a disaster control system for fires, it has been adapted for different uses by many of the government responders that may be involved in an emergency situations at a company. (Vendrell and Watson, 2008)

ICS can help determine the organizational structure for management of an emergency or a disaster. It can also help a security director plan how to implement the structure, build the capacity for that structure, and adapt it for different situations. ICS is designed to be flexible, yet standard, to make a joint emergency response more efficient and effective. (FEMA) The organizational structure is a team approach (Vendrell and Watson, 2008) and will require a cooperative effort between the security director, other employees, and outside parties. The joint effort can plan ahead of time how best to minimize harm to people, harm to property, and loss of business assets.

As such, the security supervisor should work with outside groups in using ICS to plan for incidents. While the vernacular used by ICS is common and intuitively comprehensible, the effective implementation of its structure depends on a coordinated team effort. A group effort in the planning phase will make implementation under the pressure of an emergency situation easier. The better coordinated the effort is the less damage to people and property that will occur during a disaster situation.

Specifically, the five functional areas of ICS must be outlined ahead of time. The coordinated planning process will determine who the functional areas of command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance (Vendrell and Watson, 2008). Giving discrete designations to each person or team, including the security supervisor and the company's own staff, will prevent confusion during an incident. If confusion arises when responding to a security threat, it can impede the process and lead to additional, unnecessary harm to people, property, and business assets.