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Developing Your Condominium’s Emergency Plan

Volusia Prepares BusinessVolusia County Emergency Management49 Keyton Drive, Daytona Beach Florida 386.254.1500

County of Volusia Division of Emergency Management 2

This presentation is all about condos

My condo!


Definition of Disaster

For our purposes, a disasteris considered to be:

“A negative incident or event of such magnitude as to interfere with the operation of the property, possibly requiring an evacuation; and havingthe capability to cause damage,injuries, or even death.


Top Ten

Of the top 10 counties inthe United States receiving

Presidential Disaster Declarations,5 are in Florida


Module One


Basic Principles

We call this “All-Hazards” Planning

Any type of incident: Natural disaster Accidental Intentional

Any magnitude: Minor Major Catastrphic

One plan covers everything


The Disaster Cycle

Mitigation

PreparednessResponse

Recovery

The FourPhases of a disaster

cycle

There are things we should be doing in each phase


Mitigation

“To make less severe or painful”

It’s helps to:

Lessen the risk

Lessen the impact

Lead to faster recovery


Cut loose branches

Strengthen roof supports

Protect A.C. areas

Mitigation Examples


Preparedness

“To make or get ready”, The Preparedness Phase is when you:

Plan – both for response and recovery activities Equip – stock-up on what you will need Train – individuals, teams, and residents

CERT


Preparedness continued

Have more than minimum insurance Pricing agreements (avoid gouging) Memoranda of understanding

You will need theseduring recovery


Preparedness

Individual units

Common areas


Response

Implement the Emergency Plan:

Cover windows and clear the pool deck Back-up computer data Area wardens (floor captains) provide information and

conduct wellness checks Evacuation and accountability

Use checklists


Recovery

“To get back again, to regain”

Remove debris Repair damage Data recovery Resident Issues Employee needs Lawsuits Insurance claims Becoming operational again

The incident may takes seconds. Recovery may take years.


Module One


Module One Key Points

All Hazards Planning Three categories of disasters Four phases of disaster Post – disaster activities can last for

months or even years


Module Two


Know your residents

Who uses oxygen? Who needs help evacuating? Who plans to “shelter-in-place”? Stay

with friends? Use public shelters? Who has care-giver visits? How would you communicate with them after they evacuate?


Those with disabilities

Know their units Know what evacuation

assistance they would need Do they plan to shelter-in-place?

Pair them with a “buddy” Have contact information for

family or care-givers Use your response team to

help them

Use Floor Captains to keep communications

open


Know the employees

Would they have personal and family needs during a disaster?

Are they a care-giver for another? Do they have children or spouse with

special needs? Do they have an alternate method of

getting to work?


Play “what if”

What if the maintenance guycan’t come to work.How will you coverhis duties?


Consider this…

The maintenance person could have a job book: how to control the elevator; where to shut-off the electrical power to the laundry room; how to cut-off the sprinklers; where spare parts for the pool pump are kept.

The bookkeeper could have similar job book of where to find, or how to perform, certain functions.


Know your short-falls

If you run out of “it”, where would you get “it”?

Will venders still be working?

Will the plumber come?

Think:Alternate sources!


Module Two Review

Know your residents and employees; their needsand how they will react.

Know the mechanics of how your building “works”

Any questions beforewe go on?


Module Three

No “one” person can do it all. You’ll need a team.


The Emergency Operations Plan

Overview of an EOP: Establishes Responsibilities and Assigns

Tasks (“who”) Sets coordination and direction roles (“how”) Uses thresholds (“when”)

Includes checklists and procedures for various functions…


Developing the Emergency Operations Plan

Step 1 Establish the planning team

Step 2 Identify capabilities & limitations

Step 3 Identify the hazards Step 4 Know the end product Step 5 Establish milestones and

timelines Step 6 Training and exercises


Step 1: Planning Team

Property manager Maintenance staff Association board Residents with key skills

Don’t forget the attorney


Include community partners

Talk to the fire department Check with the police Local Emergency Planning Committee American Red Cross County or city emergency management

office


Step 2: Capabilities and Limitations

What skills, abilities or talents do residents have? What capabilities exist within the paid staff? What are the limitations of the paid staff? What are the property’s resources (clubhouse,

meeting room, etc.)? What supplies are on hand? How long will they last? What equipment and tools are on hand? What is the financial situation (cash flow, ability to pay

employees and purchase suppliers)?


Capabilities and Limitations

Don’t overlook limitations. Never put something into a plan you are not capable of performing

Limitations often center around legal liabilities


Step 3: Hazards

In the Community Hazmat Storm surge Street flooding River cresting Tornado Lightning

On Property Fire

Electrical Structural

Natural gas Power failure Jammed elevator Parking lot/garage Structural collapse


Step 4: End product

Create anoutline beforeyou begin

Would you build a house without an idea what is its supposed to look like when its done?


Step 5: Milestones and Timelines

If you don’t have a completion date, it won’t get done.

Set realistic goals along the road to completion so people can set their sights

Hold in-process-reviews to identify show-stoppers or unmet goals


Step 6: Training and Exercise

Residents and staff need to understand there is a plan and their role in it

Train people Exercises / drills allows people to test

their roles Test your plan


Module Three Key Points

Involve partners in the planning process Understand your capabilities and

limitations Understand the hazards that exist Know what you want the EOP to look

like Set goals and dates


Module Three Review


Module Four – What the EOP Looks Like

There is no set way to organize an emergency operations plan…

but, here is one approach….


Sample outline

Introduction Authorities /

Responsibilities Situation / Assumptions Alert and Notification Communications Direction and Control

Concept of Operations Pre-incident Response Actions

Closing and Reopening


Introduction

Purpose Scope Policies Acronyms and definitions

Let’s discuss these


Authorities and Responsibilities

Authorities Who has the authority

to implement the emergency plan?

Who can order the operations to cease?

Evacuation of the facility?

Spend emergency money?

Responsibilities

People with specific roles must be advised of their role! They need to be capable of performing them and properly trained


Examples:

During an evacuation: Who is responsible for the petty cash? Are some files to be secured off property?

By whom? Who is responsible for the final building

check and closing? Management? Board? Who is responsible for checking the building

prior to re-opening? Management? Board?


Situation and Planning Assumptions

Situation

Is your property located by the airport? Near water? Railroad track? High crime area?

Planning Assumptions How will your residents

and employees react? How might your property be impacted by a given hazard?


Alert and Notification

Alert- (sometimes called warning) Advance notice “get ready”

Notification- “It” is here, react NOW

UtilityServices

Vendors Employees

Off-siteowners

Residents

The“Who”

How will you reach them?


Communications

Consider power outage Alternate means Internet Verbal

Floor or area:“Monitor”“Warden”“Captain”

What are the benefits of usinga person, such as a “warden”?

Question:


Floor “captains” prepare to deploy


Post-Impact Communications

Have a plan to reach residents (pre-incident survey)

Don’t forget communicating with non-resident owners

Have a call-in number pre-established that owners, renters and employees can use if the main number is not working

Consider appointing a board member as the communications coordinator to work on these issues


Direction and Control

Who is in charge? The manager? The board president. Mrs. Fields in 611?

Where is “management” taking place? Is there an Emergency Operations Center?

Who do they direct? What can they control?

This is the part where you talk


Concept of Operation

Pre-Incident Explain the plan to residents and staff Identify team members (if you are going to use

them) Train individuals and teams Conduct exercises

Response Implement the EOP Use an Emergency Operations Center (EOC)


Concept of Ops Continued

Indicate the “Chain of Command” (who is in charge)

President of Board

OperationsVice President

Finance IssuesTreasurer

LogisticsBoard Member

CommunicationsSecretary

Advisory to Pres.Contract Mgr

Paid MaintenanceStaff

Resident ResponseTeam

Example


Thresholds – Example

Hurricane WatchFloor Captains advise residents to

leave

List of stay behind residents given to law enforcement

Petty cash taken to bank safe-deposit box

Computer data backed-up and taken to bank safety deposit box

Hurricane Warning Turn power off

Final building check

Dismiss the paid staff

Building “locked down”

Manager leaves

This is the place in the EOP where you wouldshow thresholds with checklist of what actions

take place:


Closing and Reopening

Who has the authority to order a closure? What steps would be needed (ah-ha, think checklist) Photographs (who takes and maintains them?) What about petty cash and vital records? Notify authorities when the building is closed and leave

contact information

Also, tell them if people arestaying behind!


Reopening considerations

Use a checklist for re-entering building and establishing utilities

Is a life-safety inspection needed? Photograph (document) damage for insurance

claims Communicate with residents (“come on back”)

There should be a “Re-entry Team”


Damage assessment

Conduct DA as soon as it is safe to do so

Photograph damage Focus on Essential

Functions Develop an Action Plan

of what needs to be done and in what sequence

The D. A. Team should include a board member, management, maintenance, and others

based on skills / knowledge


Training and Exercises

There are five steps 1. Employee and resident awareness 2. Tabletop exercise will determine your strengths

and weaknesses 3. Drills by specific teams (fire team, medical unit,

etc) 4. Functional Exercise 5. Full Scale Exercise (FSE). This might be

conducted in conjunction with a city or county exercise. Check with local officials to see if your organization can “piggy-back” on a planned exercise in your community.


Module Five

Tips for improving your EOP


Identify roles and responsibilities

Contract Management Other employees Board of Directors Residents

This can s avemis unders tandings

and cos tly mis takes


Employee issues

Under what conditions does the paid staff not have to report to work?

Who, or what group, makes the decision for the paid staff to be allowed off? If they are released, will they be paid?

Communications plans must exist for the employees

Steps for securing/closing the building


Threshold

Thresholds are points of recognition at which some pre-determined action takes place.

Threshold is also known as a “tripwire”, and “trigger point”


Threshold examples

Sometimes television weather reports or newscasts can be used


The all important family pet


More on pets….

Do you have any? What units? What are they? Any chance they could be left behind

alone (“home alone”)? Do owners know where to find pet-

friendly shelters?


Other things in the plan

A letter recognizing the “Plan” as official policy

Date of publication so future revisions can be identified

A list of those receiving copies (“stick drive”)

Maintain a list of updates


Custodian of the Plan

Every plan has a person known as a “custodian” whois responsible for keeping

it updated, distributingcopies to those who shouldhave one, and orienting new

employees


Summary

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We’re Done

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