Crisis readiness: Know your 3 P’s

The current economic meltdown underscores this reality: We’re never too far from a crisis.

Before a crisis causes things to blow up, train your office for first response. Heed these lessons from Detective Kevin Barry, who spent 16 years as a bomb squad technician in the New York Police Department:

 1. Plan. “In a disaster scenario, you want to be making as few decisions as possible,” Barry says. Define the crisis management team, or who can and should do what under various conditions. Prioritize what to protect first.

2. Prepare. Know every resource you’ll have available in a crisis, especially the people. “Know their names, know what they can do, know how much you can trust them,” he says.

3. Practice. Much like a fire drill, it’s the only way to make sure that in a real emergency, people respond without panicking.

— Adapted from “Bombs Away,” Jeff Yang, Portfolio