Global To Answer That Emergency Call Group can help business should disaster strike - Article taken from the Yorkshire Post Plucking earthquake victims to safety and preparing businesses for pandemic threats such as bird flu are all in a day's work for Sheena McCabe. The former Cabinet Office emergency planning specialist has founded Global Emergency Management, a company that will stop business being paralysed by terrorism, disease and natural disasters. As a member of the International Rescue Corps, she's seen the carnage caused by the unexpected since 1992. Ms McCabe has just returned from Pakistan where she was part of a team that rescued victims of the recent earthquake. "We have been lucky, on the last two or three missions we have pulled people out alive," said Ms McCabe, who is a qualified urban research and rescue technician. "It's incredible – it makes you feel that what the team does is worthwhile." From her base in Brandsby, near Easingwold, North Yorkshire, she's running a company that will help Britain's businesses cope with mundane mishaps, and major setbacks, like power crises and bomb attacks. Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which has just come into force, local authorities and emergency services must help business raise its game when it comes to disaster planning. "It's important that everyone is aware of their responsibilities under the act, and the roles and responsibilities expected of them, from front line responders to local communities," said Ms McCabe, who spent three years at the Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat. "Local authorities must promote business continuity, to ensure that the community is resilient. If we ever have to face a situation like the floods in Carlisle last year, then we have got to have a contingency plan to deal with that." "We rarely know where or when disaster will strike, but training, planning and conducting exercises provide the best chance of coping in an emergency. It affects us all, from householders and small businesses to the largest organisations and Government." The floods of October 2000, which devastated parts of Yorkshire, underlined how vulnerable we are. So what's the best way of preparing for the worst? According to Ms McCabe, it's all about identifying areas of the business that are crucial and ensuring they can't be harmed by surprise events, such as a large section of the workforce falling ill. It could mean identifying evacuation centres and placing them on standby. Ms McCabe was a course director at the Emergency Planning College near Easingwold where she formulated strategies for responding to bird flu and terrorism. She is working with the University of Hull to run courses in emergency planning, which are expected to begin in May. Earlier in her career, McCabe worked in Emergency and Contingency Planning with Merseyside Police. She holds an MSc in Crisis and Disaster Management from Leicester University. Yorkshire Post - 25 March 2006 << Back to Resources

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