A focus on Emergency Planning in Condominiums
Meet the Corporation’s obligations, reduce costs, prove your due diligence and save precious time in emergencies by being prepared. Not to mention it may save a life.
As a member of the board for your condominium, you want to ensure that governance includes the simple step of verifying your condominium has developed and implemented an emergency procedure plan to protect employees and residents against common emergencies in the building. Not only is this the right thing to do…it’s a requirement under the Occupational Health & Safety Act, it meets the needs of the Occupiers liability Act.
Identifying what your staff will do in response to different types of emergencies, will assist you and your building Supervisory Staff in all phases on an emergency; Its not just about responding to emergencies…its about how your corporation will prevent them, prepare for them, and even eliminate, or mitigate the impacts of those emergencies.
The cornerstone of an effective risk management program for condominiums is the identification of common risks and site-specific hazards and providing a standardized and consistent approach to those risks and impacts.
As a condominium director, I would suggest that a series of questions be posed to your Licensed condominium Manager;
· the condo has a written plan;
· that the staff are all aware of the written plan and where it is stored for emergency reference; and
· that the plan is current.
An Emergency Response Plan provides core guidance on actions necessary in emergency situations that could cause hazard to life or property. This plan should identify what actions employees, and at times what actions residents must take in the event of an emergency such as: elevator entrapment, fire, fire alarm, medical emergencies, extreme weather warnings, security incidents, refrigerant detection system alarms, underground parking Carbon Monoxide Detection system activations, floods and leaks, and even emergency “shelter in place” orders.
The immediate actions of staff, and subsequent follow-up actions of the property management team, will directly impact the safety of residents and may very well save lives. Quickly and effectively responding to as simple emergency at 2:00 AM, can significantly reduce the amount of damages caused…thus seriously impacting the costs of emergencies.
Inadequate preparation for emergency situations such as the ones identified above can have serious effects on the viability of building operations, costs, expenses, quality of service, convenience, and can pose a serious threat to the safety of employees, residents and building guests.
While leadership throughout the property management industry in Ontario is systematically strong, significant praise should be given to Licensed Condominium Managers and their teams, working to ensure the safety of our communities. With more and more extreme weather events, Ive had the opportunity work alongside some industry leading Managers who have implemented “Emergency Management Plans” for their building, that go above and beyond common emergencies, and outline what staff will do in the event of a HVAC failure, what staff will do in the event of a tornado warning and how they will notify the residents – and what actions they will take. During the emergency - there is no time to draft these emergency communications - We need to do this now.
It is vital from a basic due diligence perspective, that corporations don’t let their guards down, and verify these important risk management practices at least annually. It is also critical that Boards provide additional resources needed to support those Professional Managers who protect both your corporation and home - on a day to day basis.
One common and consistent feedback stream we receive from Managers, is that while they take the neccessary steps to propose the need for this type of risks management and the development of a “site specific Emergency Management plan, Boards often do not support the direction as they dont see this as a need, or expect the Management firm to do this as part of their services. My swift response to this - its the Corporation’s responsibility to protect employees under the Occupational Health & Safety Act, and its the Corporation’s responsibility to protect the residents from foreseeable emergencies within the building. If your a Licensed Condominium Manager, struggling to put forward these initiatives, ensure your proposal is documented in the Board meeting minutes, so its documented you have represented the corporation well - whether or not it was approved.
About NLS Group
NLS Group is a team of facility fire safety and risk management experts established to ensure greater community safety in tall buildings.
We uniquely achieve this by utilizing leadership and experience from both the private and public sectors while utilizing the principles of emergency management in everyday business and facility operations.
If you need assistance, reach out and connect with us.