Redesign Emergency Response organisation

Situation

The in-house fire brigade of a multinational organisation has to be transformed into an ER function at some non-industrial sites. At the same time, responsibility is transferred from Safety to Security. Who can guide this sensitive process with sufficient abstraction?

Background

For many decades, this multinational conducted research at an old site spread across dozens of buildings. A professional in-house fire brigade was indispensable in that environment. Recently, the organization moved into a new state-of-the-art facility, which includes a laboratory designed with a high level of inherent safety. At another (largely comparable) location, this situation had already been achieved earlier. At corporate level, it has also been decided that at such sites, Emergency Response will fall under the responsibility of the security department.

Assignment

The assignment was to assess whether, at both locations, the in-house fire brigade could be transformed into a more lean and efficient Emergency Response organization, and to determine which (safety) requirements would need to be met.

Approach

Door goed te onderzoeken (en te luisteren!) bleek het mogelijk bestaande best practices van beide locatie op het gebied van Emergency Response te combineren om zo tot een optimale oplossing te komen. Daarbij is nergens afbreuk gedaan aan het beheersen van risico’s. In het verleden ervaren gevoeligheid over de security en safety zienswijze bleek met voldoende abstractie overwonnen te kunnen worden

Result

Thanks in part to our independence and out-of-the-box approach — combined with transparent communication and clear explanations of risks, legislation, and the new way of working — emotional barriers were overcome, and the new Emergency Response organization became a reality.