Disaster kits ready for area businesses

Santa Rosa County wants businesses to be ready for emergency disasters.

Starting at tomorrow’s Commission meeting, Santa Rosa County will provide Business Emergency Recovery Toolkits to every business in the county at no cost.

The commissioners will recognize sponsors at 9 a.m. tomorrow in the commission meeting room located at 6495 Caroline St. in Milton.

The toolkit bags are part of a three-phase program aimed at enhancing local businesses to increase their ability to recover from a disaster. There will be 2,500 emergency toolkits available.

According to a county press release, the Division of Emergency Management recognized that businesses are critical to the local economy and recovery after a disaster, therefore local chambers of commerce and emergency management personnel raised $6,600 through sponsorships to create and offer the toolkit bags at no cost to businesses.

Emergency Management developed a three-phase program to enhance the level of preparedness of businesses and to support the ability to re-open after a disaster as soon as possible.  

As Phase 2 of the county’s business continuity plan, the toolkit bags contain Department of Homeland Security business continuity information, checklists to assist businesses in developing plans, information on where to get more assistance if needed, and volunteer information.

Phase 1 of the business continuity plan was completed in August and included the creation of an Emergency Support Function — ESF 18: Business and Infrastructure. Representatives of the Navarre, Santa Rosa, and Gulf Breeze Area chambers of commerce will man ESF 18 during Emergency Operations Center activations.

This new emergency support function will allow businesses to access the resources of the Emergency Operations Center quickly and will help Santa Rosa County Emergency Management provide the public with information on businesses and goods available as they open.

 The final phase is the introduction of the Critical Incident Protocol program, provided by Michigan State and funded through a Department of Homeland Security grant. An all-day training program will be held March 19 at NAS Whiting Field for representatives from Santa Rosa, Escambia and Okaloosa counties. Currently, more than 60 participants are registered to attend the program including government, business and non-profit organization staff.

 At the conclusion of the program’s third phase, county emergency management staff will continue to develop new ways of incorporating ESF 18 into disaster exercises and other training.

Eleven sponsors will be recognized at the Commission meeting including AT&T, Gulf Power, St. Ann Catholic Church, Escambia River Electric Cooperative Inc., Mediacom, Gulf Breeze Natural Gas, Life Flight, Gulf Breeze Area Chamber, Santa Rosa Medical Center, Taminco, WXBM, and TEAM Santa Rosa.

The toolkit bags will be offered to businesses through the local chambers, TEAM Santa Rosa, and Emergency Management. 

Santa Rosa County businesses that are not a member of a chamber of commerce can contact Daniel Hahn at 983-4606 to receive a free toolkit bag.