Testimonials:
"I have received the Battlebox last week and can truly say that I am happy with content and casing. Very well thought through. Will refer locals to you guys should any be in need of a Battlebox. Many thanks for the speedy process and service!"
"We had never seen a Battlebox until Andy brought it into the rehearsal and then we realised what the crisis management phase was all about... using the documents to deal with our staff and visitors, the emergency services, the press, the IT disaster recovery, the telephony and convening the incident management team to gain order out of chaos"
"The Battlebox has been an iconic symbol of my organisation taking BCM seriously. Together with wallet cards, a video film, a website and awareness programme we really are embedding BCM into the culture after years in the wilderness"
"The disaster wasn't really a disaster at all. Hardly worth mentioning because we dealt with it so effectively. It would have been a disaster before we had BCM. Now we are all so well rehearsed, we've got Battleboxes and plans we just did our roles and controlled the situation. Saved a potential loss of £3m. No problem!"
Why organisations require Battleboxes
There are many and varied characteristics generated by an incident/crisis management situation that a Battlebox is designed to meet.
Firstly, incident management is different and has unique features. Within a business continuity management system responding to an incident is very different from the normal day to day organisational activities and processes which can be planned for, re-prioritised and done tomorrow using traditional management skills and responses. It is also different from business continuity, recovery and resumption plans. The timing is different, the level of detail is different, the ability to test is different although there will of course be overlaps.
Incident management can have a very different mix of characteristics:
- The immediate concern for the safety of people
- Minimising the damage to your own assets and other people’s assets
- Containing and control the impact of an evolving event
- They are stressful, emotional (fight or flight)
- Time can be warped – it’s dynamic and changes happen very fast
- The mix of the incident team – availability, deputies, out of hours back-up
- Distractions are many, varied, demanding and immediate
- Trusting and validation of the facts - did that really happen?
- Leadership – needs to be seen and different from day-day operations
- Coordination with internal parties – displaced people, uncertainty and emotions running high
- Coordination with external parties such as emergency services, media, suppliers, insurance, customers – ‘sorry to hear about your situation but I need that delivery today’
- Stakeholders– appropriate escalation and control
- It is not a test, it’s not a training or coaching exercise and there is a high probability of a disruptive event happening
- Reputation, resources and costs are all at stake – now!
How can a Battlebox address these different characteristics?
The Battlebox strategy and contents provide the framework within which those responsible for successful resolution are able to work together with maximum effectiveness and quickly get to a control situation. This could avert further escalation or lay the foundation for the implementation of business continuity, resolution and resumption plans.
The documentation and essential materials are design to provide:
- Clear, simple and concise aid memoir checklists
- Immediate access to Incident Management plans with action orientated steps focused on the critical first hours
- An initial response agenda with functional roles, responsibilities and prompts
- Essential communication items available to hand
- The ability to Log the event, gather info, validate info and record the decision making, ownership and handovers
- A First aid kit for any minor injuries prior to emergency services being available
- The visibility both physically and of the incident responders being seen as taking control and leading
- A Contact lists for staff, contractors and visitors
- Critical information for emergency services such as utility maps, hazardous areas and maps to alternative sites
- The foundation for Incident Management and for a compliant Business Continuity Management System
- All customisable, scalable and usable as a ‘tool-box’ with special risks action cards and functional templates
