How to Create an Emergency Response Plan for Business: A 6-Step Guide

A written emergency response plan for business turns a vague intention to "be ready" into assigned roles, short procedures, and equipment that works when someone collapses at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday. By the end of this guide you will have a plan that names who does what, gives them action cards to follow under stress, and puts trained people and an AED within reach. Before you start, gather your floor plans, employee headcount and shift schedules, current insurance information, and any existing safety policies, including that fire evacuation sheet if it is all you have.

Step 1: Identify the Emergencies Your Workplace Is Most Likely to Face

Walk every area of the site, including break rooms, storage, parking lots, and any satellite locations, and list hazards by type:

Medical emergencies: cardiac arrest, choking, severe bleeding, allergic reactions, falls

Fire and smoke

Severe weather and earthquake

Power outage

Chemical or hazardous material release

Workplace violence or a threatening person

Then let location sharpen the list. Businesses in the Pacific Northwest and on California's Central Coast should weigh earthquake seriously, along with wildfire smoke and the evacuation or air-quality decisions that come with it. A pool, lake, or waterfront facility adds drowning and water rescue to the list.

Next, rank each hazard by two questions: how likely is it, and how severe would the outcome be? A simple 1 to 5 score for each, multiplied together, is enough. The point is to decide where the plan spends its detail. Give your top three to five hazards full attention and handle the rest with a shorter checklist.

Common mistake: writing a plan only for fire because fire drills are familiar. On an ordinary day, a medical event such as sudden cardiac arrest, a serious cut, or a fall is far more likely than a fire. If you want to quantify this for your team, use the current statistics update from the American Heart Association and cite the year, since figures are revised regularly. Otherwise, the qualitative point is enough: medical emergencies belong near the top of almost every workplace ranking.

Keep the output of this step to one page: a ranked hazard list with a one-line note on why each ranks where it does. Steps 3 and 4 build directly on it.

Step 2: Assign Roles and a Clear Chain of Command

A plan without named responsibilities fails in the first thirty seconds, when everyone assumes someone else is calling for help. Start by naming an emergency coordinator and at least one backup for every shift, including nights, weekends, and remote or satellite sites.

Then define the specific roles an event requires:

Caller: phones 911, gives the address and exact location, and stays on the line

Equipment runner: retrieves the AED and first aid kit

Greeter: meets responders at the entrance, holds elevators, and guides them in

Floor wardens: sweep assigned areas during an evacuation and account for staff at the assembly point

First responders: trained employees who begin CPR or first aid

Decide in advance who has the authority to order an evacuation or shelter in place when leadership is absent. Write it plainly: "If the general manager is unavailable, the shift supervisor may order evacuation without approval." Hesitation while someone tries to reach an owner is a common and avoidable delay.

Write every role by job title, not personal name. "Front desk lead" survives a resignation; "Dana" does not. Keep a separate contact roster that lists the people currently holding each title, with mobile numbers, and put a review date at the top of both documents. Assign a backup for each role, since the person you named will eventually be on vacation or out sick on the day it matters.

Step 3: Write Response Procedures for Each Scenario

Create a one-page action card for each hazard you ranked in Step 1. Use numbered steps, short verbs, and no paragraphs. A person who is frightened and adrenalized will follow a list; they will not read policy language.

A medical emergency card might read:

Check that the scene is safe.

Call 911, or tell the designated caller to do so.

If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR.

Send someone for the AED.

Turn on the AED, apply the pads, and follow its voice prompts.

Continue until EMS or another trained responder takes over.

Build similar cards for fire, earthquake, severe weather, chemical release, and violence. For movement scenarios, include the details people need to act:

Evacuation: primary and alternate routes, plus an assembly point far enough from the building for responders to work

Shelter in place: which rooms to use, what to close or seal, and who signals the all-clear

Lockdown: how to secure doors, silence phones, and stay out of sight until authorities release you

Post a marked map showing "you are here," exits, extinguishers, first aid kits, and AED locations near every exit and in common areas.

Plan for the people who are not on your payroll. Visitors and customers do not know your routes, so name who guides them out. Employees with mobility, vision, hearing, or cognitive disabilities may need a buddy, an evacuation device, or a refuge area to wait for responders. Ask those employees what works for them, and write the arrangement into the plan.

Mistake to avoid: long narrative policy text. If a card does not fit on one page and cannot be followed at a glance, cut it down.

Step 4: Put Equipment and Communication Systems in Place

Procedures only work if the tools are where the card says they are. Use this as your starting checklist:

AEDs, with spare pads and batteries

First aid kits sized to your headcount and hazards

Bleeding control supplies such as tourniquets and hemostatic gauze

Flashlights and spare batteries

Fire extinguishers, inspected on schedule

Printed emergency contact lists

Placing and maintaining your AED

Aim for an AED reachable within a short walk from any point in the building, so a runner can bring it back quickly. Mount it in the open or in a clearly marked cabinet that is not locked. Multi-floor buildings and large campuses usually need more than one. Assign one person to inspect each unit monthly, checking the status indicator, battery, and pad expiration dates, and log each check.

Alerting people

Decide how you will tell everyone what is happening: overhead paging, text alerts, a phone tree, or a combination. Then plan for failure. If power or internet is down, you need a backup such as a battery-powered megaphone, whistles, or runners assigned to each area.

Checking the rules

Requirements vary by state and change over time. Check current rules for your state on AED placement, first aid supplies, and training; Washington, Oregon, and California each handle these differently. Also review OSHA's emergency action plan standard (29 CFR 1910.38) and its first aid guidance to confirm whether a written plan is required for your workplace. Smaller employers may be allowed to communicate a plan orally, but a written version is still the better practice.

Step 5: Train Your Team and Get the Right Certifications

An AED on the wall is not a response capability. People need to know how to use it and be willing to act. Match training to role:

Designated responders: CPR/AED and First Aid

Healthcare staff: Basic Life Support (BLS)

Aquatic facilities: Lifeguard certification and water rescue skills

All employees: a short orientation on alarms, routes, assembly points, and how to call for help

Taylored Instruction is an authorized American Red Cross Licensed Training Provider and an American Heart Association Training Site, so you can choose the provider your industry or regulator expects. One certification does not fit every job. Hospitals and clinics often require AHA BLS, while other employers accept either organization. Confirm the requirement with your licensing body, insurer, or client contracts before booking.

Choose hands-on instruction. Practicing compressions on a manikin and running an AED trainer builds skill and confidence that watching a video cannot. On-site group classes can be scheduled around shifts, so you can train a whole department without sending people across town.

Track expirations in a spreadsheet with each person's name, role, course, issue date, and expiration date. CPR and First Aid cards are typically valid for two years, but confirm the validity period with the issuing organization for each course. Set reminders 60 to 90 days ahead so renewals do not leave a shift uncovered.

If you have a large team or frequent turnover, consider training an in-house instructor. It lets you certify new hires quickly and keep skills fresh without waiting for outside class dates.

Step 6: Test the Plan With Drills and Keep It Current

A plan that has never been tested is a guess. Schedule at least one evacuation drill and one medical scenario drill per year, and mix announced runs with unannounced ones. A medical drill can be simple: a coordinator announces that a "coworker" has collapsed, and the team runs the action card with the AED trainer.

Hold a short debrief right after each drill, while details are fresh, and record what failed. Typical findings include a locked door, a dead AED battery, a caller who did not know the address, or two people who both thought they were in charge. Assign each fix to a named owner with a due date.

Do not wait for the annual review to update the plan. Revise it when:

You open a new location or change the layout

Someone in a key role leaves or changes jobs

You add or replace equipment

A real incident occurs, even a minor one

Store the plan in three places: printed copies at key locations, a shared digital version everyone can open, and an off-site or cloud copy in case the building is inaccessible. Give the plan to every new hire during onboarding and log a signed or electronic acknowledgment, so you can show who has seen it.

Put Your First Drill and Training Dates on the Calendar

Your plan now exists on paper. What makes it real is the calendar: book your first evacuation drill, your first medical scenario drill, and the certification classes for your designated responders before the week is out. Add a monthly AED check and a review date to the same calendar so maintenance does not depend on memory.

Don't wait until an emergency happens. Get the life-saving certification you need today. Register for a CPR, First Aid, or Lifeguarding class and gain the confidence and skills to respond when it matters most. Taylored Instruction can also arrange on-site training and AED equipment that fit your workplace.