Emergency Readiness Guidebook 

Introduction

Review emergencies/disasters that can occur

12 steps for planning/preparation

Take the Recovery test

Step 1 – Eliminate or add emergencies for your area and/or office

Step 2 – Research emergency/disaster Information

Talk with real estate/property management professionals
Attend seminars and workshops on emergency/disaster recovery
Investigate useful emergency/disaster websites
Research emergency/disaster insurance
Research business emergency/disaster companies
Maintain useful emergency/disaster websites

Step 3 – Make important Broker/Manager/Owner decisions

Will the business continue or dissolve?
Who will take control?
Who will inherit if something happen?
Set up a temporary manager or broker
Set up secured files
Discuss business continuation with personnel
Set up financial arrangements

Step 4 – Involve Everyone

Personnel
Family
Vendors
Property owners
Tenants

Step 5 – Protect computer equipment

Contact the Network Administrator
If you do NOT have a network administrator
Use anti-virus and anti-spam programs
Run the anti-virus program 24-7
Use firewalls
Use difficult, hard-to-guess passwords
Keep the passwords secure
Change passwords regularly
Avoid opening unknown emails
Check office security locks regularly
Test security alarms regularly
Review and set up backup procedures
Utilize cloud computing

Step 6 – Prepare Important Documentation

Collect and Organize Your Records
Prepare important Documentation

Step 7 – Develop a communication plan

Develop emergency “codes”
Set up communications
Prepare emergency notifications

Sept 8 – Plan adequate insurance/recovery finances

Consult insurance agents
Set up emergency funds or financing
Calculate an emergency fund
Plan for loss or disability of broker/owner
Compensation during or after an emergency/disaster
Identify costs with the different emergency/disasters that can occur

Step 9-– Organize the Office

Purchase emergency supplies
Install warning systems
Prepare signage
Prepare procedures

Step 10 – Identify Important Contacts & Vendors

Emergency/disaster vendors
Important emergency contacts

Step 11 – Develop a Safety Plan

Safety first policy
Mail safety – suspect packages
Hazardous materials
Watch for temperature extremes
Review equipment safety
Review building security
Make an evacuation plan
Make a portable or backup office plan
Locate disaster/emergency shelters
Develop an evacuation plan
Develop a shelter-in-place plan
Develop before, during, and after plans

Step 12 – Put the Recovery System together

Complete other emergency/disaster manuals
Meet with Personnel
Prepare the Owners
Prepare the Tenants
Re-evaluate after every event

Addendum 1

This section includes samples of the forms included with the various manual. You can find the list and descriptions at the end of this outline.

#2 – The Emergency Manual for the Property Management Office

Complete the 12 planning steps and then customize the Emergency/Disaster System for the Property Management Office. The purpose of this manual is to distribute to Personnel to help prepare them for an emergency or disaster.

Introduction

Fires can happen at any time

What to do
Steps to prevent office fires

Power Outages

Supplies available
What to do in a power outage

Chemical hazards in the office

Steps to prevent chemical hazards
If there is danger of an explosion
Recognizing signs of toxic poisoning

Before an Emergency/Disaster

Who should prepare?
Why should we prepare?
Preparing our clients
Company pre-planning
Procedures if there is a broker/owner crisis
Plan emergency office communications
Protect computer equipment
Prepare office emergency supplies
Install office posters/emergency maps
Prepare document storage
Personnel methods of communication
Emergency/disaster contacts/services

Safety

Personal office safety
Avoiding workplace violence
Building safety – avoiding terrorism
Shelter-in-place procedures
Emergency/evacuations procedures

During the Emergency/Disaster

Assess the emergency/disaster
Remain calm; patience required
Remember what NOT to do
Take specific steps during the disaster
Communication policy during an emergency/disaster
Use the Shelter-in-Place if necessary
Evacuate when necessary or notified
Wait for communication before returning to work

After an Emergency/Disaster Passes

Recovery Assessment
Continuation of patience
Make important contacts
Assess property damage & legal issues
Recognize signs of stress
Reevaluate the emergency/disaster office procedures

Conclusion

Addendums

#3 – The Emergency Manual for Property Owners – Outline

Introduction

What can happen to your property?

Before an Emergency/Disaster

Emergency/disaster planning in our company
Prepared our current office location
Trained our personnel for emergencies/disasters
Prepared a temporary office location
Set up a communication plan
Set up emergency and recovery services
Prepared the tenants
How property owners can plan
Review insurance
Research the Internet
Plan emergency/disaster funds
Read the Property Management Communications
Authorize necessary maintenance
Emergency contact information

During an Emergency/Disaster

What to do during an emergency or disaster

After an Emergency/Disaster

The Management Company’s role The Property Owner’s Role

Conclusion

#4 -The Tenant Emergency Manual

Introduction

Events That Can Happen

The Importance of Renters’ insurance

Fires

Monitor the smoke detector/alarm
Develop an evacuation plan
Steps to prevent exterior fires
Steps to prevent interior fires

Chemical Hazards

Steps to prevent chemical hazards
If there is a danger of fire or explosion:
Recognize and respond to symptoms of toxic poisoning:

Before a Major Emergency/Disaster

Reminder: obtain renters’ insurance
Make preparations in advance
Create a communication plan
Plan an evacuation route
Keep your vehicles in working condition
Locate emergency shelters
Prepare for your pet

During a Major Emergency/Disaster

Do not panic; remain calm
Only make necessary calls
Follow your emergency plan
Check on neighbors or disabled persons
Take actions to secure your pets
Listen to a battery operated radio
Disconnect the automatic garage door
Keep your car in the driveway if necessary
Shut off utilities if necessary
Evacuate if ordered

After a Major Emergency/Disaster Passes

If you have evacuated your resident
Before you enter your residence
When NOT to enter your residence
When you do enter your residence
When to contact your Property Manager
Understand how disaster can affect your family or friends
Recognize Signs of Disaster Related Stress
Handling Disaster-Related Stress

Organizations That Can Help

American Red Cross
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Center for Disease Control (CDC)
Salvation Army

The following forms are found in the 1 Emergency Forms file folder included with this product; all forms are customizable in Microsoft Word®. PDF Product Instructions on using Microsoft Word® are included.

Emergency Forms

1 – Emergency/Disaster Test
Find out if you are prepared for an unforeseen event. If not, use this test to find out week areas.
2 – Useful Websites
A list of good sites for emergencies, disasters, computer backup, password information, and much more
3 – Company Records
Use this to record important information such as ownership, Broker license #, etc.
4- Financial Information
This specifically lists all banks, credit unions, and financial institutions along with contacts, banking numbers, and liabilities
5 – Insurance Records
This form keeps track of the many different insurances and their renewals
6 – Licensing Records
This forms keeps records for all licensed agents, with renewal dates
7 – Personnel Compensation
A document to record the different salaries or commission splits for all Personnel
8 – Passwords/ID Records
This is a multi-page document to record different passwords/user id information – for business and personal
9 – Business Contacts
This tracks the many important business contacts, including telephone numbers, mobile numbers, and emails
10 – Personal Contacts
This tracks the many important personal contacts,, including telephone numbers, mobile numbers, and emails
11 – Company Vendor Records
This lists all vendors used by the business, along with telephone numbers and type of service
12 – Emergency/Disaster Vendors
This list identifies the vendors needed during an emergency/disaster
13 – Furniture & Equipment Inventory
This form is particularly useful if the business suffers an emergency/disaster that destroys the furniture and equipment
14 – Software Records
This is a record of all software used with serial numbers, warranty information, etc.
15 – Service Contracts Records
There are often many service contacts involved – copy machines, computers, and other business machines
16 – Records Locations
Use this document to record where backup records and paper files are kept for the business
17 – Temporary Broker/Manager Agreement
If something happens to the Broker/Manager, this agreement is needed right away.
18 – Emergency Contact Letter
This letter can be quickly tailored to send to important contacts if something happens to the Broker/Owner
19 – PM Contract Wording
Examples of wording that can be used in management agreements and rental/lease agreements
20 – Voice Mail verbiage
This is basic wording to add to a voice mail system in advance before an event happens
21 – Owner Emergency Email Template
A basic template that can be altered for each event – set up in advance to email owners before, during, or after an event
22 – Tenant Emergency Email Template
A basic template that can be altered for each event – set up in advance to email tenants before, during, or after an event
23 – Vendors Email Template
A basic template that can be altered for each event – set up in advance to email vendors before, during, or after an event
24 – Owner emergency/disaster letter
A basic template that can be altered for each event – set up in advance to mail to owners after an event
25 – Tenant emergency/disaster letter
A basic template that can be altered for each event – set up in advance to mail to tenants after an event
26 – Personal Emergency/Disaster Checklist
A checklist of items for tenants to do before, during, and after an emergency.
27 – Emergency/Disaster Kit
A list of emergency/disaster items for tenants to put together before an emergency or disaster
28 – Hazardous Chemical List
A list of hazardous chemicals for tenants
29 – Personal Inventory List
This is for tenants to itemize their personal belongings for insurance purposes

Excerpts

Excerpts from Manual 1 – Planning and Implementing an Emergency Readiness Plan

STEP 3 – MAKE BROKER/MANAGER DECISIONS

When something happens to the Broker, an Owner, or to the physical business, it is extremely important to have your documentation and notifications in order. Important decisions are immediately necessary – someone needs to have the authority to proceed. If this happens, is your business ready?

Will the business continue or dissolve?

You may already know, but it is possible that you are so busy that you have not even considered whether you want your business to continue or dissolve. This is an extremely important step in the process of planning for the unexpected. After all, thinking about the worst possible scenarios is difficult. Discuss this with your family, friends, or business partners. Just be sure they understand that you are simply planning for Business Recovery and that you have to make this important decision. You do not want them thinking that you are expecting the worst or diagnosed with some terrible disease. People tend to imagine the worst, so be up front, and talk openly about this project.

Who will take control?

Whether the business continues or dissolves, there must be someone competent with the authority to conduct business. It may be that you already have personnel or a co-owner in place to take over when something happens. However, you need to give this thorough consideration and decide if you need more than one person. It may be that you need a Temporary Broker and, at the same time, someone to manage the overall operation of the company.

Excerpts from Manual 2 – The Office Emergency Manual

Planning helps reduce stress and speed recovery

By planning and implementing procedures, some emergencies, when they occur, may not be as daunting with preparation. Planning can reduce the impact and reduce the recovery time. It can also give you peace of mind and protect your health and those of your coworkers.

Please take the time to review the material enclosed. The Management Team will hold staff meetings periodically to inform, review, and update any of the material enclosed. It is important that you know what to do if an unexpected event occurs. Your safety is a primary concern of the company. Provisions for these events include communications, supplies, evacuation, and more.

If at any time you have questions, please contact your supervisor to discuss your concerns. We would like to have input on what information could be missing or improved. We ask that you work with the Management Team at all times to ensure the smoothest operation of the company during difficult times. This is for the benefit of all Personnel involved.

Excerpts from Manual 3 – Owner Emergency Manual

(Company Name) emergency/disaster planning

Although you cannot prevent most emergencies or disasters, there are steps you can take to be prepared. We have taken the following steps to prepare our company and your tenants.

Prepared our current office location

As your Property Management Company, we must be able to cope with the emergency within our current office location. Therefore, we have prepared emergency supplies, emergency generator, and other items that will help us handle an emergency.

Trained our personnel for emergencies

In our office, we have spent many hours preparing The Office Emergency Manual. When we completed this task, we then met with our Personnel to train them on what to do before, during, and after and emergency. We now have a continued program to review our procedures and keep them informed.

Prepared a temporary office location

It may be that our office experiences the same problems as your property. Therefore, we have and office evacuation plan and set up a temporary location, which could change depending on the situation. Should this happen, we will contact everyone with the location as soon as possible.

Excerpts from Manual 4 – The Tenant Emergency Manual

If there is a fire

If there is a fire, stay calm, call 911, keep low, avoid breathing in smoke or gases, and evacuate quickly. After you have safely evacuated, contact our office as soon as possible.

Contact emergency services for aid – you will find some emergency services information later in this handbook.

Develop a plan.

• Buy portable fire extinguishers and place around the residence. Keep them current.
• Put important papers and other valuables together so you can quickly take them with you during evacuation if possible.
• Everyone should be aware of what can happen when there is a fire. Plan a meeting or meetings to discuss what can cause fires, how to prevent them, and how to handle them if they occur. Make sure to include all residents, including minors.
• Regularly test the smoke alarm/detector and if it has a battery, replace it when necessary.
• Find different ways for everyone to sound an alarm – they can yell, pound on a wall, whistle, etc. Do not just rely on the smoke alarm/detector.
• If someone is hearing impaired, figure out how to alert them, such as vibration, flashing lights…