Every accident is a notice that something is wrong with men, methods, or material — investigate — then act. 

Safety is one of the top concerns in any commercial or residential property. 

Similarly, many incidents can occur at your workplace. Your staff needs to be prepared to handle any situation. This may include falls, fights, fire breaking out, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), sprinkler system problems, and power outages.  

Since the beginning of this century, there has been a 64% increase in power outages and a 78% increase in weather-related outages. This trend seems to continue and never comes to an end. 

One of the best techniques to prepare for unseen mishaps is to establish incident management training for teams. Such training programs assist team members in responding to potential incidents at your premises. This is a fantastic approach to ensure that employees are knowledgeable about the latest incident management tools, safety procedures, and techniques. 

Continue reading to find out the benefits of incident response training, the procedures to take while educating your staff, and the significance of ongoing training. 

What is Incident Management? 

Incident management is important for several reasons. It includes ensuring the safety of employees, customers, and the public. By responding quickly and effectively to the incidents, organizations can help minimize the impact of an event and ensure the safety of those affected. 

Here are the components of a crisis or the 5Ps of incident management:  

• Predict 

• Prevent 

• Prepare 

• Perform 

• Post-Action 

Example 

A security guard encounters an unauthorized individual attempting to access a restricted area of a corporate building late at night. During the training, the guard would be instructed on how to properly assess the situation, communicate with the individual, and follow established protocols for detaining or escorting the person off the premises if necessary.  

Also, the training would cover the importance of immediately notifying the central security team, documenting the incident accurately, and coordinating with law enforcement if the situation escalates.  

This type of training ensures that security personnel are well-prepared to handle unexpected incidents effectively, maintain safety, and protect the client’s assets. 

Why Incident Response Training is Important? 

Unexpected events may happen at times. It could cause fear and chaos among visitors and staff. However, being a supervisor, you must prepare your team for any obstacle. This can be done by organizing an extensive incident management response training program. 

Some reasons why business owners or managers need to prioritize incident response training: 

• To be ready for unavoidable circumstances. 

• To plan out your communication and reaction in case of an emergency. 

• To keep track of each team member’s tasks and shifts 

• To examine and enhance your protocols following a mishap. 

• To take precautionary measures to deal with possible issues before they arise.  

Steps to Follow During Training 

Every property is unique. Therefore, it’s important to develop specialized training such as sensitivity training that fits your property’s needs, location, and target market. For example, a stadium or arena will require different training than a shop or restaurant. 

Discussed here is a draft for incident response training that you can use to get your team prepared for potential threats.

1. Know What Risks to Expect

First, plan all the possible areas open to accidents. Everything must be covered under this plan. 

Risks vary depending on the location of floor plans, stairwells, and emergency exits must be considered. To create a realistic threat model, training should comprise analyzing venue layouts and data.

2. Outline Roles and Responsibilities

Working as a team demands good collaboration and communication. Team members must be on the same page. This is beneficial for fulfilling their duties. 

When something happens, there’s no time to speculate. To respond swiftly and effectively, each team member needs to be aware of their tasks and duties.

3. Develop Response Procedures

Response Procedures are instructions that your responders should follow when they are responding to an alarm. These instructions are presented to the responder when responding to an alarm.  

So, documenting specific protocols for events like fires, disorderly crowds, and active shooters is essential. Establishing well-defined reaction protocols can help take command of almost every difficult situation and reduce threats as much as possible.

4. Document Reporting Procedures

The reporting procedure is a key element for monitoring the implementation of any training program. This helps compare the achievements with the set goals. 

An additional important element of incident response management is reporting. There should be defined protocols for communication among team members during an event. This helps save time and the lives of the people involved.

5. Invest in Incident Management Tools

Mere training is not enough. You must give your team all the effective and latest tools to make their job easier. 

Furthermore, every system and instrument used in incident management, including communication tools, should be familiar to team members. Every time you add or update incident response tools, team members must be informed and trained in new skills. In this way, they become more proficient.

6. Create Recovery Procedures

The recovery phase of an incident response plan is all about getting back to business as usual. After the threat has been eradicated, organizations must restore the affected systems to their pre-incident state. 

Besides, there is frequently additional work to be done following an incident, including reporting, fixing, and alerting stakeholders. 

To make sure nothing is lost in the cracks, it is vital to specify precise recovery processes. 

Continuously Evaluate the Training  

Incident response must never be underestimated. Training must be an ongoing process to cope with threats, client demands, surroundings, and properties. As these are all extremely dynamic and always changing. 

Property managers are therefore required to implement quarterly continuous incident response training. Strong training resources help employees become more knowledgeable about changing technological protocols and better equipped to handle difficult circumstances. 

Final Thoughts

To make the most of incident management training, team members must have good communication and collaboration. To ensure that your team adheres to a single set of rules and to centralize training, you must also have a strong cloud incident response training system in place for optimal results. 

This solution will help you store your documentation all in one place. Also, using an automated solution like Smart Workforce helps teams monitor, report, and exchange data in a better way. Hence, making incident management training more transparent and beneficial.