CASESTUDIES
On the 17th June 2009 at 03.25am a fire broke out at the Skymark International factory in Leominster which resulted in:
- 80 fire officers attending the fire
- 400m cordon closing the industrial estate affecting businesses in the area
- 150 residents evacuated
- 4 schools closed
- Railway line shut and roads closed
- Minor injuries unit & out patients clinics cancelled
The major concern for the fire brigade was the 50,000 litres of flammable chemicals and the oxyacetylene bottles on site.
Damping down continues throughout today causing further disruption to the industrial site.
Skymark Internationals immediate response to the incident was:
- Updated information on their website that morning (protecting reputation)
- Confirmation production will be moved to other sites (continuation of production)
- Management meeting held at 10.30 (in charge of the situation)
- Confirmed vital stock information will be up & running the next day (resilience)
- Press release made to trade press and media outlets that morning (communication)
- Message thanking customers for their understanding, confirming they will be in contact that day or early the following day with action plan to continue to supply (offering reassurance/protection of market share/communication)
This is a model example of how an effective business continuity plan allows you to cope with the first 24 hours and beyond
Imagine it was your business on fire or you were one of the businesses denied access to your premises?
- what would you do next?
- who would you contact first?
- how quickly would you be able to respond?
- where would you temporarily relocate to?
What would be the cost to you in lost production, lost sales, loss of market share or the effect on your reputation?
Skymark International proves that having a plan in place works, anything else, is not an option.
