Is your business prepared?

Glassman explains to Amy Parker, manager at Verizon Wireless in the Madison Festival Shopping Center, the importance of being prepared in case of an emergency.

David Glassman is a man on a mission.

The Emergency Operations Manager for the Madison Fire Department was out today visiting various businesses around town, passing out literature about immediate and long-term planning for small businesses during the event a disaster.

“My mission is to get the word across to our local businesses in case something serious does happen,” Glassman said. “Small businesses sometimes don’t recover after a disaster, so by doing this, hopefully they’ll know what to do.”

He said prevention is the fire department’s biggest concern when it comes to possible hazardous situations.

“You never expect it could happen to you,” said David Yee, owner of Sign-A-Rama in the Madison Festival Shopping Center. “You can never be too prepared, and if not prepared, you could lose everything.”

Glassman said a whether disaster is more likely to occur in the city than a fire, but that doesn’t mean people should not take proper fire precautions.

He said businesses need to have a game plan for what’s to come after a fire, tornado or any other hazard, and his job is to notify everyone who is at risk.

“Who will come to work the next day and do payroll?” he said. “What if employees are out sick, who is going to take over? Business has to eventually continue and this is where we come in.”

He said the three major transportation hubs in Madison–the interstate, airport and railway—do pose possible risks and anything could happen at anytime.

“We are in an area prone for disaster and we could have a significant event,” he said. “And I’m not saying anything will happen, people just need to be ready.”

He has given out more than 1100 “Be Ready Business” booklets in the past four days and said he hopes to cover all area small businesses by next Friday.

The booklet, which was put together by the Madison County Emergency Management Agency and the Madison Fire and Rescue, explains what to do in a variety of emergency situations such as how to put out a fire, what type of emergency supplies are needed and how a company could still communicate with employees and local authorities during and after a disaster.

“I would like to see the small business take this guide seriously,” Glassman said. “Many small businesses nationwide haven’t been able re-establish themselves after a disaster because they weren’t prepared beforehand and we need to prevent that.”

For questions or to receive a free booklet, contact Glassman at 256-772-5692 or via e-mail at david.glassman@madisonal.gov.