During the Four Points Chamber of Commerce July 18 meeting, interim Lake Travis Fire Chief Robert Abbott rolled out the department's plan to help local business owners prepare for an emergency.

The 17-year Lake Travis Fire Rescue firefighter told chamber members and guests that his father had lost everything after his uninsured business burned down. Unable to pay his mortgage, his father eventually moved into Abbott's home.

Abbott said that he heeded his father's lesson and developed a program to make sure business owners maintained continuity following an emergency.

"If he had a plan, he'd still be in business today," Abbott said. "[LTFR] want to be there before the incident happens."

LTFR's business continuity plan gives business owners and employees the chance to develop a plan for the company to continue operating if their physical site is shut down. Abbott said that the business protection program involves five steps:

1. Analyze the business's assets and services
2. Assess a business's risk of catastrophe
3. Develop a strategy to continue running the business if catastrophe strikes
4. Develop a plan to maintain business operations, such as locating a vacant office space or basement for operations
5. Rehearse your plan, including means to escape a burning structure or other catastrophe

Abbott said the free program, which includes an onsite visit to assess the company's risk and strategize an emergency plan, will begin in October.

For more information, visit www.ltfr.org.