Recent news stories about active shooters, vehicle accidents, and explosions can leave you wondering how safe you are at the office or out in the field. Known as “mass casualty events,” these unthinkable scenarios can easily happen with inadequate escape paths in buildings, inattention to identifying threats, and poor communication among those involved and affected. So what can property managers and brokers do to prepare their teams for the unthinkable?
- —Via NAR’s Commercial Connections magazineEnlist the right people. Work with community partners to identify, correct, and prevent problems. Cultivate these relationships in advance so emergency responders are familiar with your properties and organization.
- Involve your team and community. Staff, building maintenance departments, and tenants can often provide ideas and insights about your properties.
- Gather information from experts. Local law enforcement can share crime patterns and history. Fire departments, emergency management departments, hospitals, community watch groups, and local advocacy organizations can also offer insight.
- Account for “what if” scenarios. Evaluating each area of your property from the viewpoints of both people who use the space regularly and those who intend harm focuses your attention on useful questions about prevention, actions needed, communications, and escape routes.
- Be actionable and accessible. Actionable items may include adding security technology and communications systems or upgrading locks and window protection. Be certain your policies and procedures are incorporated into emergency operations documents that are stored onsite.
