When disaster strikes, there's no second chance to get it right. Yet according to recent studies, only about half of US organizations participate in full-scale emergency exercises, leaving countless employees dangerously unprepared for an inevitable crisis.
From chemical releases to workplace fires and severe weather events to medical emergencies, the threats facing every organization continue to evolve and intensify. We've identified the most critical emergency preparedness mistakes that could put your organization at risk—and more importantly, how to fix them before it's too late.
1. "Practice makes perfect" fallacy
Pitfall: Most organizations believe that any practice is good practice. Routine fire drills are conducted, boxes are checked, and preparation is assumed.
Reality: Practice doesn't make perfect; it makes permanent. If you're practicing the wrong procedures or conducting drills without proper evaluation, you're reinforcing dangerous habits that could prove fatal during a real emergency.
Fix: Focus on "truthing your plan" to test whether your procedures work as intended, not just whether people can follow them. Make sure that what is written in the plan can be executed. Stress the plan under exercise conditions to understand where your plan is most likely to fall apart and why. Conduct drills and exercises several times a year. Schedule these drills and exercises at a realistic pace and scale for your organization, but by all means “Just Do It”!
2. Solo planning trap
Pitfall: Assigning emergency planning to a single individual or department, typically EHS (environmental, health, and safety) or facilities management, without broader organizational input.
Reality: Emergency situations are inherently cross-functional. When a crisis hits, you need seamless coordination between departments, leadership, and external partners. Single-source planning creates dangerous knowledge gaps and coordination failures.
Fix: Form dedicated emergency and continuity planning teams with representatives from all critical business functions. Include your essential functions such as finance, HR, IT, operations, supply chain/procurement, facilities, EHS, and executive leadership from the very beginning. As highlighted in recent continuity research, establishing a dedicated team responsible for maintaining business operations during a crisis plays a vital role in identifying critical functions, implementing backup systems, and facilitating smooth transitions.
3. Announcement anxiety
Pitfall: Organizations either conduct all drills announced (reducing realism) or unannounced (creating panic and potential liability issues).
Reality: Both approaches have weaknesses but also benefits. Announced drills often become performances rather than genuine preparedness assessments, while completely unannounced drills can create safety hazards and legal complications. Potential benefits from announced drills can help raise employee awareness that an emergency plan exists and they may want to get involved, while unannounced drills can provide a snapshot of what works in the plan and what needs improvement.
Fix: Implement a gradual approach. Start with announced tabletop exercises to establish baseline knowledge, progress to partially announced functional exercises, and occasionally conduct unannounced drills. Do this only after proper notification to key stakeholders like security, management, operations, and local emergency services.
4. External partner blind spot
Pitfall: Planning emergency responses without involving external partners like fire departments, police, EMS, and even insurance providers.
Reality: During actual emergencies, these external partners become integral to your response. If they haven't been involved in your planning and exercises, coordination failures are inevitable.
Fix: Notify and include external emergency services in your exercises. The collaboration and established relationships will prove beneficial if these first responders respond during an actual incident. Incorporate your insurance loss control representatives in planning sessions as they often provide valuable resources, including training or financial support, and may offer premium reductions for comprehensive preparedness programs.
5. Corrective action “Death Valley”
Pitfall: Organizations excel at identifying problems during exercises but fail at implementing solutions.
Reality: According to a recent webinar, while 47% of organizations consistently implement improvements from exercises, a significant portion still struggles with follow-through.
Identifying problems without fixing them creates a false sense of security while leaving critical vulnerabilities unaddressed.
Fix: Implement a robust corrective action tracking system:
• Prioritize improvements as high, medium, or low risk.
• Assign specific owners for each action item.
• Set realistic completion dates based on resource availability.
• Establish regular follow-up meetings to track progress.
• Integrate the improvements into future trainings and exercises.
6. One-size-fits-all exercise error
Pitfall: Using the same exercise format and scenario repeatedly or attempting to address all hazards in a single exercise.
Reality: Different types of emergencies require different response capabilities. A fire evacuation exercise won't prepare you for a cyberattack, and a tabletop discussion won't reveal whether your physical evacuation routes are practical.
Fix: Develop a comprehensive exercise program that addresses your top hazard risks with appropriate exercise types:
• Tabletop exercises for policy review and “live drill or exercise” coordination discussions.
• Functional exercises for testing specific procedures without full deployment.
• Full-scale exercises for comprehensive capability validation.
Match scenarios to your objectives and actual risk profile based on geographic location, industry, incident history, and operational characteristics.
7. Leadership participation gap
Pitfall: Excluding executive leadership from emergency exercises, assuming they'll naturally know what to do during a crisis.
Reality: Leaders often become extremely hands-on during real emergencies, but without practice, they may inadvertently interfere with established procedures or fail to fulfill critical communication roles.
Fix: Design executive-level roles into your exercises. Practice crisis communication protocols, media relations, and stakeholder notification procedures. Involve leadership into the planning process to ensure they understand their responsibilities and have practiced implementing them under pressure. This is a great opportunity to work with your leadership to begin and sustain emergency preparedness as part of overall organizational resilience.
Now what?
Emergency preparedness isn't about hoping disasters won't happen but being ready when they do. Exercises should be viewed as a regular and critical piece of your operations, not as an interruption. Understand that the relationships built, procedures validated, and confidence gained through proper emergency exercises become invaluable assets when facing real crises.
Remember disasters don't schedule appointments. The time to identify and fix these preparedness pitfalls is now, while you still have the luxury of learning from controlled scenarios rather than life-threatening emergencies.
Ready to audit your emergency preparedness program?
BSI Consulting's emergency management experts can help you identify vulnerabilities and implement proven solutions that protect both your people and your business continuity. Contact us today to schedule a comprehensive emergency preparedness assessment and discover how our 25+ years of real-world experience can strengthen your organization's resilience.
Meet our team of emergency response experts
- David Bernstein, Principal Consultant specializing in emergency management and business continuity
- David Blacksberg, Senior Consultant specializing in emergency management and business continuity
- Al Roth CSP, Senior Consultant specializing in EHS services and solutions, including emergency management and business continuity
