Printer
TextBusiness Survival Seminars
Disaster Preparedness Education for Business Owners & Managers
Seminar Resources
-
Preparing Your
Business for Emergencies
Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu, Fairfax County Director of Health - Business Emergency Plan (pdf)
- Business Plan Costs (pdf)
- Ready Business general information (additional forms)
- Listo Negocios - En Español
- Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
-
Pandemic
flu planning check list for Individuals & families
(9 languages) -
Influenza self care guide
(7 languages) - Cover Your Cough poster
- Hand washing posters for restrooms (5 languages)
- Hand washing guide (brochure)
- H1N1 virus information
- Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management
The declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization in response to ongoing outbreaks of illness due to the new H1N1 Influenza A virus highlights the importance of having an emergency plan and being prepared. The Fairfax County Health Department conducted a series of free Business Survival Seminars beginning in June 2009. The goal was to educate business owners about how disasters, such as a hurricane, a flu pandemic, or a terrorist attack, could impact their businesses and how to prepare for them.
Disasters have the potential of disrupting our daily lives and can prevent businesses from operating, resulting in financial losses. Small to medium sized businesses (SMB) are especially vulnerable because they have few resources to assess disaster risks and develop comprehensive mitigation and recovery. SMBs that aren’t able to resume operations within ten days of a disaster are not likely to survive. It is estimated that 25 percent of SMBs do not re-open following a major disaster. Therefore small businesses need emergency plans not only to survive disasters, but also to recover quickly.
“Small to medium sized businesses are the foundation of our community’s economy, which is why it is imperative that we engage them and assist in their preparedness efforts,” said Gloria Addo-Ayensu, M.D., M.P.H., Fairfax County Director of Health. “These seminars will provide business owners practical information for developing their emergency plans and strategies to lesson the impact of disasters on their business.”
Business owners are encouraged to learn how to:
- Develop a Business “Continuity of Operations Plan” (COOP)
- Prepare for all types of emergencies and identify the potential impact of a disaster on your business
- Identify the essential functions of your business
- Stay open when there is high absenteeism for an extended period of time
- Offer services in non-traditional ways to keep their business open during periods of low demand for services or when needed services are not available
- Improve workplace safety and to minimize the impact of a disaster
See the Seminar Resources linked to this Web page to begin making a plan.
To learn more about disaster preparedness education for businesses
contact:
Erin Matthews (erin.matthews@fairfaxcounty.gov) at 703-246-6017
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