Bob Dylan was “right on” when he wrote, “…The times, they are a changing!…” Within just a few years, in our own city, Toronto, we have experienced electrical blackouts, tornados, viral pandemics, terrorist plots and the effects of a global financial meltdown. Fortunately, the effects of the above were minimized and/or prevented from becoming much worse. My point is that, when I was growing up, these were issues that we read in the newspaper and seemed so far away; now, it is happening in our own backyard. What as a community, as a city, as a nation are we doing to plan for future catastrophic events that will affect us all? What, in other words, is our disaster plan?

I attended, last week, the monthly MPI (Meeting Planners International) meeting who hosted a panel discussion regarding Business Continuity Planning (BCP). The very fact that business is raising this most important issue to the foreground means that it is serious and essential for all of us to get involved and contribute.

There are basically three distinct control measures within a BCP: a) preventive measures aimed at preventing an event from occurring b) detective measures aimed at detecting or discovering unwanted events and c) corrective measures aimed at correcting or restoring the system after a disaster or event.

Rental Furniture: Ready to be Mobilized

Executive Furniture Rentals is very involved with business in assisting and creating solutions in the latter phase, corrective controls. Office rental furniture is ready to be mobilized into make shift properties, rental furniture for homes can be delivered within 48 hours. Presently, insurance brokers and adjusters take advantage of such services for re-settlement due to fires and most recently the tornado damage that occurred this summer.

I urge businesses, if they haven’t done so already, to develop an internal BCP and have it annually reviewed. As a leading Toronto furniture rental company, I would personally be very glad to participate and assist in such planning efforts. Also remember, continuity planning is not just for business, we can even start from within our own families.

I am reminded by Murphy’s Law that, “If anything can go wrong, it will.” We hope it won’t, but as citizens within our social and economic communities, best we be pro-active because the other alternative, reaction, often will create chaos and panic. Now is the time to plan. If you’d like some assistance with your plan or want to know more about rental furniture, feel free to contact us.

Connect with me on Google