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Wakeup call: Many Canadian companies court disaster with no emergency management plan warns Canada's largest independent disaster recovery firm

FirstOnSite Restoration launches new awareness campaign as part of national push

Toronto, ON - February 11, 2011 - FirstOnSite Restoration, Canada's largest independent disaster recovery company, launched a national campaign today to raise awareness of how unprepared many Canadian companies are to deal with manmade or natural disasters. The Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness has noted that without a tested emergency management plan in place, 86 percent of small and medium-sized businesses fail within three years of a major incident. FirstOnSite's Commercial division finds this lack of preparedness also holds true for many large corporations.

"Responding quickly when a disaster strikes and managing a situation is critical," says Barry J. Ross, Managing Director of FirstOnSite's Commercial division. "While many companies have a plan in place if their CEO is out sick or a product is recalled, it is astounding they don't have a plan in place for handling a natural or manmade emergency - something that could literally prevent a company from operating."

With 30 years of experience working with large and small losses, Ross says speed, knowledge and tools are critical. It is a sentiment echoed by the industry experts in FirstOnSite's Commercial division. Between them, they have managed restoration efforts after Hurricane Katrina, the largest office tower fire in Canada and the unforgettable 1998 ice storms in Quebec.

"For companies, having a restoration specialist written into their disaster plans is a prudent move," said John Stephenson, National Director of Sales for Property Management with FirstOnSite Commercial. "We want to be the first call businesses make, so we can get on site and start fixing the problem before the damage becomes worse. Not only do we restore a property to the way it was before or better, we are first responders when it comes to mitigating damage - ensuring you don't have a bigger headache to contend with after a major loss."

The company has more than 40 branches across Canada, with more than 1,100 team members accessible to communities from coast to coast. Couple that with the largest privately owned inventory of state-of-the-art equipment in Canada and you have a team positioned to handle nearly any emergency.

"We want to remind companies that being prepared is always the key to effective disaster management. That planning now will save them a bigger headache later. We encourage companies to begin the dialogue of what needs to happen when disaster strikes and to know they don't have to have all the answers," said Stephenson. "That's why we developed the Priority Response Emergency Plan program to help businesses prepare for any disaster."

Priority Response Emergency Plan (PREP) is a program designed to help commercial partners be prepared in the event of a property disaster. FirstOnSite meets with a company to understand the infrastructure behind it, so when a flood or fire happens, the FirstOnSite team knows the business' needs and priorities beforehand and can respond immediately to begin restoration work.

The partnership includes developing a solid communications strategy as well as physical walkthroughs of a company's site(s), identifying potential trouble areas and learning protocols. FirstOnSite's goals are to provide peace of mind to commercial partners, before, during and after a disaster. Another of FirstOnSite's key differentiators is its proprietary billing system which allows it to work transparently with partners, especially in cases where multiple units are involved or the restoration is large in scale.

About FirstOnSite Restoration

FirstOnSite Restoration is the largest independent emergency restoration company in Canada serving the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. With 1,100 employees and more than 40 branches coast-to-coast, it delivers 24/7 emergency services when a disaster strikes. FirstOnSite's corporate structure provides scale, stability and unsurpassed capabilities in Canada, and regional and local expertise keeps it closely connected to communities across the country. FirstOnSite is majority-owned by TorQuest Partners Inc. and is an approved vendor for many leading insurance companies. For more information visit: www.firstonsite.ca.