There Are No Doctors In Space, So When Something Goes Wrong You Need A Solid Contingency Plan. Just Like Facilities Management
At around 250 miles above the Earth, there is no margin for improvisation.
This week, astronauts aboard the International Space Station returned home early following the first ever medical evacuation from the ISS. It was not part of the plan, but crucially, it was part of the preparation. Within hours, contingency systems were activated, a return capsule was readied, and a crew that needed help was safely brought back to Earth.
No panic. No scrambling. Just a plan, already written, already rehearsed, put into action when it mattered most.
Spaceflight is unforgiving. Every mission assumes something may go wrong, which is why contingency planning is built in from the start, not bolted on when problems appear.
The same principle applies much closer to home.
For businesses on Earth, emergencies rarely arrive with warning. A burst pipe, a failed roof, a power outage, or a critical fault can bring operations to a halt in minutes, turning what should be manageable reactive maintenance into a far more serious operational risk if no plan exists. Customers do not wait. Tenants do not pause. Trading hours do not politely reschedule themselves.
At AM Planned Maintenance, we act as the contingency plan for many of our clients. When something fails unexpectedly, we are the team they call to keep doors open, protect assets, and restore normality fast, combining structured emergency maintenance with reactive maintenance that is informed, controlled, and decisive, rather than rushed or improvised.
For organisations that want to be ready, building an effective contingency plan means dedicating time and attention to the steps that ensure preparedness long before a crisis hits. Key elements include:
Assessing risks by understanding what could go wrong and how disruptive it might be.
Identifying triggers and responses so teams know exactly when to act and how.
Assigning roles and responsibilities to remove hesitation when decisions matter most.
Documenting the plan clearly so it is accessible under pressure.
Testing and updating regularly to ensure contingency planning keeps pace with change.
Emergency maintenance only works when the response is immediate and informed, allowing reactive maintenance to remain proportionate, effective, and focused on resolution rather than damage limitation. That means the right contractors, the right systems, and the right experience, already in place before the call comes in. Much like the ISS, the success of the response is determined long before the emergency begins.
Building repairs carried out under pressure demand calm decision-making, clear communication, and absolute reliability. There is no time to search for suppliers or debate responsibilities when a business is on the line.
The astronauts returned safely because someone had already planned for the worst case scenario. For our clients, contingency maintenance plays the same role. Quietly prepared, rarely noticed, but invaluable the moment something goes wrong.
Because whether you are orbiting the Earth or operating a building at ground level, resilience is never an accident.