Business owners are being urged to check they are prepared in the event of a fire or flood.

Continuity management plans enables business owners to plan and keep a business moving forward in the event of any unexpected or unforeseen disruptions,  such as fires, floods, illness, strikes, long term power or technology failures.

Other benefits may include saving money in the long term and the ability to demonstrate a supply chain resilience against competitors.

The fire service has urged business owners to make sure they are prepared for an of these emergencies saying three quarters of businesses fail within three years without a plan.

A spokesperson for DWFRS said: "Any business, no matter how big or small, should be taking simple and straightforward measures now to make their business more resilient from fire and a wide range of other potential risks."

"Following a serious fire 25 percent of businesses never re-open, 80 per cent of companies who don’t recover in a month are likely to go out of business, 75 per cent of businesses without business continuity plans fail within three years.

"If you own or run a business, what you would do to prepare for an emergency? If you’re not sure, take a look at our website."

Without a business continuity management plan business owners risk a loss of reputation and or loss of customers, financial and legal penalties, human resource issues, increased insurance premiums, system failures, putting lives at risk and the failure of a business. 

To find out more visit www.dwfire.org.uk/business-fire-safety/business-continuity-management/