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Disaster planning is one of those activities executives dread. Not only is it a non-revenue earning activity, the probability of a disaster is minimal. But the important factor of the disaster equation is not the probability of it ever happening, but the potential loss incurred if it does happen. The fact is, emergency preparedness is mission-critical and urgent. And it might happen today.

Emergency evacuation planning or relocation is a vital component of the disaster planning process. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), evacuations are more common than people realize. Fires and floods cause the most evacuations. In addition, there are hundreds of industrial accidents every year, resulting in community evacuation. How much time you have to evacuate depends on the type of disaster. Impending weather may allow up to two days but a fire allows mere seconds. "Emergency Preparedness is Critical." - OSHA, How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies and Evacuations.

FEMA recommends that businesses prepare and test evacuation plans customized to your business. A medical facility and a bank would have very different evacuation plans. Testing the plan at least twice a year is necessary. Evacuation preparedness plans should include evacuating, locating and reuniting all personnel, including employees, clients and visitors on the property. Evacuation plans should also include coordinating with emergency responders, managing shelters and communicating with loved ones.

In today's mobile workforce, precious moments can be wasted locating employees that are actually off-site. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, (OSHA), confusion during an evacuation can lead to unnecessary delays and dangerous search-and-rescue attempts. In addition, businesses should account for non-employees, such as clients and vendors on the property. A 100 percent accurate record of all personnel located onsite in the moment of the evacuation is essential. But is that even possible? Savance EIOBoard's innovative Emergency Preparedness Software is an easy, efficient solution for accounting for all employees with 100 percent accuracy. This software solution resides on any mobile device and syncs continuously throughout the day. During an evacuation, the device is used for roll call, having only been updated moments before. The safety officer knows exactly who was in the building and where. The safety officer can then grab the device on the way out of the building, be able to select a single or multiple buildings, and take a quick roll call of who is in or out.

Effective disaster planning doesn't need to take valuable resources from revenue-earning activities. Savance's offline interface can be used for any organization, including schools, refineries and office buildings. For a real-world example, look at how Sherritt International, Canada's largest thermal coal producer, handles employee tracking.