Emergency! ... according to plan: disaster--small or large--are going to happen whether you're ready or not.

The staff of Bobby Crifasi, CCM, general manager at New Orleans Country Club, knew who they were supposed to contact by telephone to report how they had fared after Hurricane Katrina struck. The only problem with the plan, Crifasi told representatives of CMAA, was that the New Orleans telephone system was completely destroyed by the hurricane. At the recent CMAA Leadership Conference in Washington it was suggested that managers whose clubs are in harm's way set up contact points with fellow managers at distant clubs as part of their emergency plans.

There's the million-dollar question: Do you have an emergency plan at your club? How deep is it in terms of detail? What contingencies does it cover? How frequently is it updated? As the old management adage goes: "The objective of all dedicated employees is to thoroughly analyze all situations, anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence, have answers for these problems, and move swiftly to solve these problems when called upon. However, when you are up to your (backside) in alligators, it is difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp."

As the flatfooted response of federal and state officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina showed, even those who are paid to plan for the worst can come up short. So, how are you supposed to run a club while staying on top of planning for eventualities that may never even occur?

The bad news is that you don't have a choice: Disasters--small or large--are going to happen whether you're ready or not. As the leader of the club, preparing for the worst may be the most important thing that you ever do in your job. The good news is that there are resources out there that can help you make the best of bad situations.

It's All in the Book

CMAA offers a manual titled Prepare for the Unexpected ... A Club Guide to Effective Crisis Management. The manual will walk you through the process of creating an effective crisis management plan for your club. This "living document" will help you select a spokesperson, develop your crisis plans, train your employees in crisis procedures, handle the media, and perform a post-crisis evaluation. It also includes white papers from some of the most respected experts in the human resource field. The manual's cost is $65 for CMAA members and $85 for non-members. It's available online at http://www.cmaa.org/webstore.

The book includes:

Developing the Plan: Safety and health program and policy statement; assignment of responsibility; inspection checklist; emergency contact and disaster supply checklists; insurance coverage discussion form; creditor, supplier, and key customer contact forms; computer hardware, software, and peripheral inventories; and white papers on emergency preparedness and critical incident response planning.

Sample Plans/Procedures: Emergency procedures; OSHA emergency action plans; safety committee meeting minutes; inspection reports; security policy; bomb threat, flood, storm, and fire policies and procedures; civil emergency plan: earthquake plan; fire plan; lack of power plan; and vandalism and arson plan.

Prepare for the Unexpected also includes sample emergency locations, club layouts, as well as various incident reports, personnel training and crisis support, crisis and post-crisis communication, plus a list of resource materials.

Hiring an Emegency Preparedness Team

Massachusetts-based ClubSafe/GolfSafe (www.golfsafe.com) was founded by a former paramedic. The company initially worked with municipalities on developing safety and emergency preparedness plans before gravitating to the private club industry in the Northeast in 1999. It now does business nationwide. "Our club had some necessary safety components in place, but in reality we were not prepared for an actual emergency situation," said John Clyne, general manager of Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, NY. "ClubSafe assessed our needs and equipment and helped us implement a quality emergency response plan."

Elements of ClubSafe's services include:

Property/Facility Evaluation. Determine the readiness of the entire property for response to all emergencies.

Design Emergency Response Plan. Develop a plan that determines who does what when and practice the plan to ensure effectiveness in an emergency.

Emergency Evacuation Procedures. Prepare staff to manage the situation in cases of fire, explosions, or other disasters until professional help arrives.

Staff Training. Instruct in the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and CPR, and in and first aid and response procedures.

Mock Drills. Real-life scenarios involving staff in their actual emergency roles.

Equipment. ClubSafe provides wireless call boxes and AEDs and trains in their use.

Monitor Effectiveness. Including a best-practice quality improvement program, a documentation system, incident review, and staff feedback.

Annual Renewal. Annual staff training for returning and new staff, evaluation and updating of the emergency plan, and checking of equipment and replenishment of supplies.

Peter Tunley, CCM, general manager of the Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT, who found ClubSafe's planning program very helpful, echoed the sentiments of all club managers: "I just hope that we never have to use it."