How to Evaluate and Improve Your Emergency Action Plan

Paul Wind
12 minutes ago
3 min read

Feedback, Testing, and Continuous Readiness

Series: “Emergency Action Planning in Hotels: Preparedness That Protects”

An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) isn’t a one-time project—it’s a living strategy that must evolve alongside your team, property, and environment. Emergencies rarely follow a script, and even the most thorough plans will be tested by the unexpected.

That’s why ongoing evaluation and refinement are essential to a truly effective EAP. In this fifth entry in our hotel safety series, we’ll explore how to turn drills, real-world events, and team feedback into meaningful improvements that protect your people and property.

1. Test the Plan: Drills Reveal the Gaps

The only way to know if your EAP works is to put it into action.

Key Types of Testing:

Fire and evacuation drills: Test alarm systems, evacuation routes, and staff readiness
Tabletop exercises: Simulated discussions around scenarios like active shooters or gas leaks
Full-scale drills: Multi-department or multi-agency exercises involving first responders

During and after these tests, evaluate:

Were staff roles clearly understood and executed?
How long did evacuation or response take?
Were communication channels effective?
Were guests informed and managed appropriately?

⏱️ Tip: Time your drills and log response data—you’ll use this to establish and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

2. Conduct After-Action Reviews (AARs): Learn from Every Event

Whether the event was a drill or a real emergency, a structured debrief is vital.

AAR Format:

What was expected to happen?
What actually happened?
What went well?
What can be improved?

Encourage honest feedback and gather insights from all departments. Document the findings and use them to revise your EAP.

🧠 Best Practice: Hold the AAR within 72 hours of the event while the experience is still fresh in everyone’s minds.

3. Use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Measure Readiness Over Time

KPIs help you move from subjective impressions to objective improvements. Examples include:

Evacuation time per floor or department
Drill participation rate
Staff response accuracy (correct actions, timing, role execution)
Communication speed from incident detection to team-wide alert
Guest feedback scores post-emergency or drill

📊 Strategy: Use a digital dashboard or internal audit form to track these metrics quarterly or after each event.

4. Gather Feedback from Staff and Guests

You won’t spot every issue from leadership meetings—your front-line staff and guests will often see what you miss.

Collect Feedback:

Anonymous surveys after drills or incidents
Front desk logs capturing guest comments or concerns
Suggestion boxes or digital forms for continuous improvement input
Post-shift debriefs to capture real-time staff observations

🗣️ Engagement Tip: Recognize teams that offer helpful feedback—it reinforces the value of proactive safety culture.

5. Partner with External Evaluators

Sometimes, it takes an outside perspective to uncover blind spots. Third-party evaluations can identify risks or gaps your internal team may overlook.

Services to Consider:

EAP audits and benchmarking
Compliance assessments (OSHA, ADA, NFPA, etc.)
Facility walkthroughs with first responders
Mystery drills with guest interaction components

💼 Why It Matters: A third-party audit adds credibility and objectivity to your readiness efforts—plus, it’s a powerful message to stakeholders that you’re serious about safety.

6. Keep the Plan Updated and Accessible

An outdated plan is a dangerous plan. Use your evaluations to drive regular updates, including:

Changes in building layout or emergency exits
Updated contact lists and responder information
Revised roles due to staffing changes
New protocols based on recent incidents

📁 Pro Tip: Maintain a digital version of your EAP that’s accessible from mobile devices, not just printed binders.

Evaluation Fuels Excellence

Evaluation isn’t about finding fault—it’s about making your team stronger, faster, and safer with every test or challenge. The hotels that recover best from crises are the ones that invest in preparedness before the emergency and improvement after it.

At B1C Solutions, we help hotel teams develop custom KPIs, lead effective after-action reviews, and audit EAPs with an eye toward practical improvement. Our evaluation process ensures your plan doesn’t just exist—it evolves.

Next Up:

In Blog 6, we’ll show you how to integrate your EAP into daily operations so safety becomes part of how your hotel runs—not just how it reacts.

Need help evaluating or refreshing your EAP? Contact B1C Solutions for a readiness audit or custom training follow-up program today.