Emergency Planning FAQs

An emergency action plan, or EAP, is a workplace-specific document that organizes what people should do before, during, and immediately after foreseeable emergencies. It should be based on the facility, workforce, operations, and hazards—not copied unchanged from a generic template.

Active-shooter or active-violence response training prepares people to recognize danger, communicate, make rapid protective decisions, and take actions appropriate to their environment until law enforcement arrives. It is not firearms instruction for employees, a prediction tool, or a guarantee that harm can be prevented.

Stop the Bleed training teaches ordinary people how to recognize life-threatening bleeding and take immediate action until professional help arrives. The American College of Surgeons course uses three core methods: applying direct pressure, packing a wound, and applying a tourniquet. The practical skills portion lets an instructor observe and correct technique rather than relying only on a video or handout.

Emergency-response training teaches people how to carry out their assigned roles during foreseeable emergencies. It should translate a written plan into observable actions: recognizing an emergency, reporting it, receiving an alarm, evacuating or sheltering, accounting for people, assisting visitors or people with access needs, providing trained First Aid, and communicating with responders.

Security officers support public responders by recognizing an emergency, calling the appropriate number, providing accurate information, opening access routes when authorized, directing responders to the location, communicating known hazards, and preserving the scene. They do not replace police, firefighters, paramedics, or the client’s emergency leadership.

A workplace emergency action plan should identify foreseeable emergencies and give employees clear, site-specific actions. When OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.38 applies, minimum elements include procedures for reporting emergencies; evacuation and exit assignments; procedures for employees who remain for critical operations; accounting for employees after evacuation; rescue or medical duties; and names or job titles to contact for more information.