Building owners and managers need to be proactive about emergency preparedness. While the unexpected can happen in any environment, the need for advanced preparations and planning is even more critical in commercial real estate because of the potential for large numbers of people to be impacted.

September is National Preparedness Month. This is an ideal time to review or create emergency plans and engage stakeholders throughout your property.

 An emergency preparedness resource that knows your property well, understands your culture and operations, and is trained in preparedness and response is your security team. Security is an essential member of your emergency planning team. You can rely on their skills and experience to help ensure that you are prepared. Whether you have a comprehensive plan in place and need assistance with training and drills, or need to develop an emergency plan from scratch, your security team can help.

There are many aspects to emergency planning that need to be considered for large and small commercial properties. 

• Scenarios - The unexpected, the unheard of, the "it could never happen here" - all should be considered in the development of emergency preparedness plans. Different scenarios may require a different type or level of response. Although highly publicized situations such as workplace violence immediately come to mind, it is important to identify a broad range of potential scenarios from power failures to severe weather and protests. 

• Training - Both classroom and situational training are important to help those responsible for executing the plan to become knowledgeable, confident, and prepared. As commercial properties are accessed by a variety of individuals daily, training should not be limited to those responsible for creating the plan. A wider reach will leave you better prepared and will convey to your tenants that preparedness is a priority for your property. 

• Physical Drills - Bring plans to life with physical drills involving tenant representatives and fire wardens, local first responders, and all service providers: security, janitorial, engineering. A well-trained security team can help facilitate these drills. 

• Education - Awareness is critical. Develop a training guide for tenants and employees that reviews floor plans, evacuation routes and other factors such as fire extinguisher locations. This will help consistently communicate emergency information, can be customized to meet the specific nuances of the property, and should be evaluated regularly to ensure that the information is current. 

• Coordination - Building managers need to recognize that tenants might have their own emergency plans. Those tenants should be applauded for their efforts but everyone needs to coordinate plans to ensure safety and eliminate confusion during an emergency. A key element is to assure that an individual tenant's plan is not in conflict with the building's plan. 

• Communication - Emergency plans should not only be communicated to tenants but also to local authorities. Sharing those plans now will help ensure smooth execution in an emergency situation. Your security team will most likely already have relationships with local emergency services and can serve as a liaison. 

Every emergency preparedness plan must be customized to the facility, and its location and tenants. Plans must also be reviewed, updated, and practiced on an ongoing basis as the tenant roster, surrounding environment, and other changes can influence preparedness plans.

In addition to your security team, resources exist through your local law enforcement agencies and other organizations. Take advantage of the many resources available online as you strive to advance your level of preparedness. During National Preparedness Month, and throughout the year, preparedness experts are delivering tips and resources that can help. You can access links in Allied Universal's Security Resource Center.

Put your resources and relationships to work for you as a well-prepared facility is good for the community. Your security team can coordinate your efforts, help ensure that all stakeholders and scenarios are considered, and help you prepare for the unexpected.

Jason Sowers is a Business Development Manager for Allied Universal. Jason can be reached at Jason.Sowers@AUS.com.

Additional information and resources are also available on the BOMA International website.