Personnel Training Course for Businesses Regarding the Response to Stranded Persons Focusing on Vulnerable People from the Perspective of Business Continuity.

Businesses in urban areas have been required to accommodate stranded persons as temporary evacuation facilities during disasters. Regarding measures aimed at aiding stranded persons, aspects such as trust and the image of the business need to be considered. Therefore, in this study, a personnel training course was developed to smoothly take in stranded persons, and the outcomes of this training were evaluated by quizzes, entry sheets, and a questionnaire. This was a two-day and one-night course characterized by the use of role-play in which 20 participants experienced the series of processes that unfold during disasters, playing either the role of a stranded person or a facility member. This training included emergency food provision using real stockpiled food and accommodation training using actual bedding stored in a model facility. After the review, when the participants were taught the correct response for vulnerable people, their scores in the test regarding the points of caution in vulnerable people were significantly higher than those prior to the course, confirming that participants had acquired knowledge as a result. Furthermore, through training using real food and accommodation, the participants were able to understand victims' requirements by experiencing the need for satisfactory emergency rations and comfortable bedding.

A Training Program to Enhance Disaster Preparedness of Group Companies in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.

Many business continuity (BC) plans do not mention food and water for BC personnel. Moreover, the BC relies on the assumption that, during an emergency or crisis, employees' basic needs and personal hygiene are satisfied. Although no one can engage in BC without these supplies, literature regarding companies' disaster stocks for their employees is limited. We evaluated the current situation of companies' stockpiles of food and other supplies and what their employees thought about them after participating in a newly-developed overnight training program that allows the participants to experience situations that they would encounter in a disaster. Thirty-three employees from eight companies in Tokyo participated in the program. Seventy-five percent of the participants' companies had food stocks for three days as instructed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government but, after eating four stock meals, 81.3% of the participants thought it would be better if this provision were improved. The stock rate for bedding was 62.5% but less than 30% of companies stocked both blankets and mats, as suggested by the Sphere Standards. There were several people who complained of sleeplessness and a poor physical condition the next morning and this could be an obstacle in the BC.