How healthy is your property emergency contact list?

Is there a reminder in your planning calendar or property procedures to contact emergency providers with changes in telephone numbers or staffing?  Unfortunately a failure in this process usually results in a former employee or the company COO receiving a middle of the night notification because they had the only valid number on the call list with the alarm company.  In an emergency, effective time management is critical.  Overseeing real estates investments worth millions of dollars warrants appropriate emergency care and planning.

An emergency plan outlining responsibilities with a list of stocked supplies is also a must have.

An apartment building that experienced a devasting fire, consuming most of the building in minutes, was able to safely evacuate every resident.  A list updated on a regular basis; listing every resident with mobility limitations was creditied with assisting in the evacuation efforts.

Contacting the emergency service providers; fire, ambulance and police departments to tour the property for an open house style experience will assist these services.   Providing a valuable knowledge of the building layout; location for emergency resources prior to an emergency event;

• explanation of elevator emergency systems
• accessibility of a Knox box key storage
• list of residents with mobility limitations, including the date to show updates and review.
• overview and explanation of the fire alarm and monitoring system.

Emergency support agencies should be contacted at least twice a year.  Not only should the property specific information be reviewed, but also, inquiring if there are new or rotating staff that may be unfamiliar with the property features could benefit from an orientation or tour.

The realization that updates, reviews, and revisions are generally realized too late.  If this activity is not included on the preventive maintenance calendar, it probably wont occur when needed.  Adding this simple update to the maintenance calendar can certainly save time and it may save lives.