Risky Business not having a Back – Up Generator

Humans are naturally good at being humans, which is why it never ceases to amaze me at how bad we are at planning ahead. There is perhaps no better example than not having an on-site back-up generator. Storing such a generator for an emergency is something that doesn’t really take much time or effort, and comparatively, can serve as an invaluable safety net under the worse circumstances.

Learn From The Bad Examples

I am astounded by the number of facilities in the news recently that have run into serious trouble without back-up portable generators. The need for back-up power should be a paramount concern for places like banks, hospitals, large event venues, and big corporations. These important organizations simply cannot afford to endure any additional downtime during or after an emergency situation like a natural disaster.

Medical facilities, such as hospitals, are likely best known for either thriving or failing when disaster strikes. This is likely because they hold a high profile position in any (and every) community around the country. So, naturally, when an emergency happens, it is assumed such a facility will be prepared with back-up power. This, however, is not always the case as a surprising number of medical facilities around the country turn out to have faulty diesel and natural gas generators badly in need of maintenance repair, or replacing all together.

I recently read about how the NYU Hospital in New York experienced trouble with their back-up power supply during Hurricane Sandy. Although the hospital had been through a similar, albeit less severe, situation with Hurricane Irene, they were fairly confident in their back-up power system. However, when Sandy snuck up on them, their back-up power was exposed, making them realize the improvements that needed to be made in order to handle a storm of such magnitude. Now, the hospital has scheduled the necessary improvements in order to handle any future needs for adequate back-up power to the facility. Their renovations are scheduled to be complete by 2014.

The Importance Of A Solid Back-Up Plan

Before disaster such as a hurricane, tornado, or other form of natural disaster strikes, it is entirely necessary to have a thorough and actionable back-up plan in place. In mapping out the procedures for when such an unfortunate event occurs, knowing how to switch your facility to back-up power is critical to the well being of those inside your facility, as well as the survival of your business. In doing so, you should map out a plan for your employees and customers to access the back-up power generator you have on-site. I am a firm believer that every company, large or small, should have such a plan in place. Truth be told, and we hear this all the time, but it really is true that you never know when disaster is going to strike, so it is best to always be prepared. At Worldwide Power Products, we have a plan in place in case of an emergency, and of course, we also have plenty of generators on-site (go figure).

The reason that I advocate so strongly for emergency plans with adequate back-up power is that doing so can save lives. It could be a neighbor, a loved one, or someone you have never met before, but the point is that having a quality generator on-site during a disaster ensures that everyone is taken care of. Whether it is having a bunch of diesel generators as a back-up power source for a hospital, or a single generator to power a bank during a bad storm, having a power source when there is an outage is critical to an organization.

I simply cannot stress enough how important it is to have proper back-up power to a facility. You really never know when disaster will hit and the last thing you want is to have to wait out a storm in the wet and cold, putting the lives of the people you are responsible for in jeopardy. So, whether you take my word for it, or use NYU Hospital as an example of what to avoid, go take the time to ready your back-up power system for any future disaster that could affect your area. It is an opportunity that should not be wasted.