Team-Building Exercises for Emergency Preparedness
It is a somewhat concerning fact that many people who work together would not know how to react to each other should an emergency occur.
This means that even if your staff have a great vibe with each other, should a fire or other emergency happen in the workplace, they will likely panic rather than work together to find a safe solution to escape. Yikes!
So, if you need to build up camaraderie in your team or staff, what are some of the best exercises to ensure that they will work together in an emergency? This article will look at some options but, you should ensure that the type of team-building exercises that you invest in for your staff relate to the type of work that they do.
Emergency Evacuation Drill
If you want to help your team or staff prepare for unexpected events, you should plan an emergency evacuation drill. This will aim to have them leave your work building fast and effectively, all while using the appropriate tools to protect themselves or other members of staff. This can help them to prepare for drills related to fires or natural disasters.
It can also ensure that all of your staff are up to date on the latest equipment that you may have in the workplace, such as a fire extinguisher from seton.co.uk. The drill and the use of equipment are essential for ensuring that your workers are kept safe.
Survival Relay Race
Next on the list, there is a survival relay race. This is when groups work together to complete a set of survival-themed challenges, which could involve building shelters, starting fires, or finding food and water in a somewhat rural environment. The objective is simple: whichever team finishes the relay first wins. This race is a great way to promote good working relationships within your staff, as well as to assess their communication skills, whilst also looking at their emergency preparedness.
Fire Making Challenge
In this team-building exercise, your staff will need to start a fire using only wilderness-based materials. They would work together to get the materials, to build an appropriate fire pit, and to light the flames.
How does this test for emergency preparedness? It tests your staff’s ability to adapt and communicate under pressure, as well as looking at their creativity. In most scenarios, your staff will be instructed on how best to start a fire, so you can also assess how well they respond to instructions in a tough situation.
Scavenger Hunt
You can also create a list of tasks based on survival for your staff to complete. You could ask them to gather leaves, find edible plants, or even build shelters using a set of tools. Again, this may not seem like it will prepare them for an emergency but the best part is that many scavenger hunts come with time limits.
This will put a bit of pressure into the scenario and will allow you to assess how your staff respond to pressure, which will provide insight into how they would likely respond in an emergency.
