Sydney CBD emergency management : guidelines for business / Janellis.

Winner: Pre-disaster Category, Private Sector Stream, Safer Communities Awards 2006.

The Sydney CBD Emergency Sub Plan was developed in 2005 as a sub plan to the NSW State Disaster Plan (Displan) to detail the special control and coordination arrangements for an emergency in the Sydney CBD which may involve evacuation of all or part of the CBD. Development of the plan included taking into account the impact on multiple community and stakeholder groups - including the business community. The State Government needs to engage and work with these groups to integrate aspects of the plan into their emergency management and business continuity capability. With a vision to ?minimise the loss of life and disruption to business?, Janellis initiated the development of the Sydney CBD ?Guidelines for Business? which include key elements of the Sydney CBD Emergency Sub Plan. It provides a clear set of processes and procedures for best practice emergency management within businesses for dealing with a major incident in the Sydney CBD. The Guidelines provide information on preparing for an emergency, contain tools for assessing business compliance against the government?s requirements and provide recommendations on best practice. The Guidelines contribute to a safer community by: improving business community preparedness; improving the opportunity for effective emergency response; providing a clear set of processes and procedures for best practice in emergency management within businesses for dealing with a major incident in the Sydney CBD; and providing a self assessment tool for businesses to apply to their current level of preparedness.