How quickly a business can return after a fire depends on emergency planning done today. Business continuity planning involves looking at businesses from inside and out to determine the people, resources, and procedures that are absolutely essential to keep operations running. Creating a business continuity plan ensures that personnel and assets are protected and can function effectively in the event of a wildfire. To help businesses in your community get started, we’ve included forms in the attached document that guide the development of a continuity plan. Additionally, there’s a PowerPoint presentation designed for workshops, providing an introduction to business continuity planning and can be used for presentations to walk business owners through the process step-by-step. Please share these resources with local business leaders because when businesses can quickly resume operations after a wildfire, the entire community can recover faster.
These resources were created by Federal Emergency Management Agency, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, and others. They were compiled by Arizona Wildfire Initiative, Southwest Fire Science Consortium and the Northern Arizona University School of Forestry.
Download this guide to creating a business continuity plan.
Insurance Coverage Discussion Form
Use this form to discuss your insurance coverage with your agent. Knowing if you have adequate coverage now can help you recover more rapidly from the impacts of wildfire.
Inventory and Equipment Form
Use this form to help you document important equipment that is necessary for your business’ essential functions. Identifying critical equipment and inventory will enable you to determine the steps that will allow you to reestablish operations quickly should a disaster occur.
Know Your Employees Form
Use this form to retain up-to-date contact information for employees and other relevant individuals such as your insurance agent, accountant, and attorney.
Know Your Operations Form
Use this form to identify your most critical business functions. This analysis will help you predict the consequences of a disruption to your normal business operations and can inform potential recovery and resilience strategies that you can use to get your business operating quickly.
Mitigation Options Chart
Mitigation reduces a property’s risk from future events and allows business owners and residents to return home more quickly, with less damage, after an event. Use this chart to identify mitigation activities that can help protect your business and provide positive benefits over time.
Download all of these forms in a single file: