Riskonet is involved in numerous site assessments, which almost always involves an evaluation of the emergency planning manual.  In most cases the companies have a basic fire response plan that typically includes notifying the fire marshal, attacking the fire, sounding the alarm to evacuate staff, and calling the fire brigade. This type of plan should be sufficient for most small, basic risks; however, a basic plan is not suitable for all risks. Els noted that plans are only effective if well developed, risk based, communicated, and practised. A plan that exists only on paper is unlikely to succeed in a real emergency.

He also highlighted that understanding different definitions of pre-emergency planning can help organisations design better plans. He focussed on three definitions taken from NFPA 1629, the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), and fire chief Alan Brunacini. All of these have distinct similarities and could be summarised as follows: An emergency plan is a document which is developed prior to an emergency and based on the information collected to assist first responders  to manage all possible emergencies at a specific location.