Good emergency response plan needs involvement and action.

Emergency response has been part of the standard scope of work for most building and facility management service contracts for years.

A good quality assurance program for facilities requires that a periodic review of emergency response plans be undertaken, and building and facility managers regularly update these plans to ensure readiness for crisis situations.

Owners, insurance companies and tenants expect that their building managers and staff are ready to respond in an emergency. Everyone knows a plan exists.

Unfortunately, these well written plans are realistically feasible only if the entire building staff, all service vendor on-site staff, security, cleaning and engineering, and other building occupants, are brought into the process of developing and updating the plan.

Each response team member must not only know their role, they must be trained, qualified and comfortable in their individual responsibilities in each emergency. A plan is only as good as the people who implement it.

In general, it takes much more time and effort training and qualifying staff in emergency response than it takes to write an emergency response plan. Grubb & Ellis' standard web-based plan covers over 30 types of emergencies, from weather-related events, to burst pipes, fire, hazardous spills, bomb threats, armed-intruders and hostage situations.

A good plan includes not only methods for immediate response, but also how to follow-up with authorities, tenants, the public and insurance companies.

Having total confidence in an emergency plan by those responsible for implementing it is critical, but that confidence only comes from the knowledge that all participants contributed to the development of, and are thoroughly trained in, all aspects of the plan. It is worth the time and expense associated with any training. Lives could depend on it.

BY JOHN POBLOCKI, REGIONAL SVP 

GRUBB & ELLIS