# Emergency Plan Starter Guide

A plain-language guide to roles, contacts, risks, response actions, and plan maintenance.

## Core Plan Elements
- Purpose, scope, assumptions, and activation triggers.
- Roles for leadership, operations, communications, safety, and technology support.
- Emergency contacts, escalation paths, and backup communications.

## First Actions
- Account for people and confirm immediate life safety needs.
- Stabilize communications and assign a situation lead.
- Document decisions, open issues, and follow-up actions.

## Maintenance
- Review contacts quarterly.
- Exercise the plan at least annually.
- Update after incidents, organizational changes, and major system changes.

## Related Actions
- Open emergency plan builder: /tools/emergency-plan-templates
- Explore preparedness track: /learning-tracks/emergency-preparedness