<DATE>

To:            Distribution

From:      <Name>

Re:            Announcement of Membership in the Red Cross Ready Rating Program

As part of our commitment to the health and safety of our personnel, I am pleased to announce that we have joined the American and Canadian Red Cross Societies’ Ready Rating program. This program boosts our ability to continually improve our response to a wide range of possible emergencies.

In doing so, we are joining more than 16,000 other organizations that also see the benefit of participating in this initiative.

There are several components of the program that we find valuable and caused us to join including:

Access to Two Emergency Response Self-Assessments

Known as ReadyGo and ReadyAdvance, these no-cost self-assessments will help us pinpoint areas in our emergency response programs that need attention, while also providing specific advice on how to make the improvements. The ReadyGo Assessment is for organizations that are just getting started in Preparedness and want to cover the basic core steps in emergency planning.  The ReadyAdvance Assessment takes it to the next level and explores much more in-depth our organization’s emergency plans and readiness.

Both assessments generate a Next Steps Report that measures our program against best practice standards and provides specific recommendations on how to improve. We commit to taking these assessments at regular intervals to track our progress.

Customizable Emergency Action Plan Templates

The Ready Rating program also includes Emergency Action Plan (EAP) templates. Like the two self-assessments, they come in Go and Advance versions. The EAPGo template includes the minimum recommended components of an Emergency Action Plan, while the EAPAdvance template provides organizations with the option to choose from 50+ additional disaster and emergency scenarios to suit our organization’s specific needs.

Use of a Large Library of Resources

Membership in the free Ready Rating program also entitles us to unrestricted access to a large library of safety and security materials including checklists, videos, presentations, and other emergency planning tools.

Distinctive Membership Logo

From a promotional standpoint, membership entitles us to use the Ready Rating Member Seal in our offices and on our website. This is a clear sign that our organization is committed to preparing as best as possible for unexpected emergencies and disasters.

These are just a few of the benefits membership offers. Over the coming weeks, you will see and hear more about our engagement in the Ready Rating program. In the meantime, should you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly.