Evacuation of The Getty Museum Well Done, Highlights Need For Proper Planning

On Wednesday afternoon, July 8, 2009 a fire in the hills of Santa Monica forced the evacuation of approximately 800 employees and 1,600 visitors of the Getty Museum.

The fire also prompted fire officials to evacuate nearby Saint Mary's College even though the fire was about a mile away at the time.The school at the time was not holding regular sessions but was hosting a conference with about 100 staff and 200 visitors.

Though no one appears to have been injured and everyone appears to have been evacuated safely, it is events like this which highlight the need for contingency planning.

The staff did everything right, including taking steps to protect the art work inside, providing a way to evacuate visitors quickly, and utilized an alternate route off the mountain and away from the museum.

With a situation like this, so much could have gone wrong very quickly, but with proper planning and training they were able to successfully get everyone out alive and well.

If there was a fire in your work place, or a wildfire threatening your business would you be able to do the same?