During the night some very big after shocks struck Christchurch causing more damage & the evacuation of one of the designated evacuation centres. Then to cheer us up they tell us that it is still likely that an after shock of around 6 on the richter scale is likely to hit. A lot of people are living on their nerves.
But there are still security issues & were some that had an impact on security immediately.
A letter to the editor yesterday reminded me of my own experience immediately post the main quake. The emergency call system (111 here in New Zealand) failed. Yet I heard a spokesman for the company that provides it saying they had had no issues.
I was trying to call the fire brigade as there appeared to be a fire in street nearby. Working in the NZ Security Industry over the years though I have learnt to have backup numbers to the police communications centre as 111 can be overloaded. It took time but I got through.
The letter writer was trying to ring Ambulance services for someone with a major bleed & in the end had to move that person to the central police station where they were transported to Hospital.
For Security guards the issue is having a backup plan if requiring 111 as security is likely to be often first on the scene of many incidents.
Disaster Recovery
The next issue for the NZ Security Industry is that of alarms & having local call centres.
First the alarms. With the first quakes & the on going after shocks many alarms have been turned off. How do we know? Because there are less been activated with each shock. There were so many going off straight after the quake that there is no way security would of ever been able to respond too them all. They may of come up with a plan to work their way through as many as they could. Luckily many though, due to noise control requirements reset themselves.
Unfortunately the criminals realize this too & there are a number of burglaries now been committed, some to houses that have been evacuated.
The call centre issue is different. Whilst having a central call centre in one location can be cost effective it can also be a hinderance. In normal times we have had issues with call centre operators trying to send us to another city, not realizing where we were.
A local centre would of been aware immediately of local issues. In saying that the centres also have to have back up systems so they can relocate if required.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning for IT Professionals
Another issue that I have raised in the past when working security is the vehicles & uniforms used.
Companies have said in the past that corporate image was more important that practical considerations. So patrols are to be in corporate approaved vehicles. Corporate vehicles are no good in a situation like we have now & that needs to be factored into company thinking.
Where as diesel 4WD (SUV) vehicles have an advantage. One they can traverse difficult to negotiate ground. Next been diesel they go further on a tank of fuel in the event it is major event & fuel is out or difficult to access. The other major factor I look at is a lesson from Iraq. Petrol & liquid gas vehicles burn well, diesel is less likely to ignite instantly.
Having security patrols on the ground is even more important in the aftermath of a disaster than normal times as there is a criminal element that will try to take advantage. You can bet that if they don't have the vehicles to do the job, they will soon get them.
Uniforms present some similar issues as overalls are more likely to be of cotton so therefore have some fire resistant, where as a corporate shirt, trousers & ties are usually more likely to be flammable & don't provide the protection to a greater part of the body.
You will hope that in future planning from now on security will take these issues into account. It might of been 16,000 years since this particular fault ruptured (due to the nature of the Canterbury plains make up it was why no one knew it was there), but it doesn't mean it will wait that long again & that is hasn't put stress on another faultline.
The Disaster Recovery Handbook: A Step-by-Step Plan to Ensure Business Continuity and Protect Vital Operations, Facilities, and Assets
The good part all the way through though has been the good stories of people just helping or offering help.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
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