Expecting the Unexpected

First, I want to thank everyone for the great response I have received from the newly created workshop, "Expecting the Unexpected - Emergency Preparedness."  It appears to be a huge success and important topic that is often overlooked unless you are taking a CAM or CAPS class. (or unless a hurricane is coming your way)

Emergency preparedness is not difficult to maintain, however, takes some work to establish a program that can be critical related to life, property, and financial  implications.  Every apartment community in this country faces threats which can have an impact on the community, its reputation, and its financial stability.  Whether it be fire, flood, storm, ice or snow incident, earthquake, or other disaster, being prepared can lead to a recoverable condition and one you can make sound judgement decisions on both during and after the incident.

The workshop covers how to formulate a plan.  Who is responsible for developing and understanding the plan?  What disasters does your community face and how you can be pro-active and not just re-active?  Who can communicate with the media and what should they communicate?  How to respond in protecting the asset to minimize further damage or injury.  How can you establish a communication channel to your team members, owners, and superiors in the light of an event?  What should be included in your plan and emergency preparedness kit? 

The recent fire at an apartment community I used to manage brought back memories of incidents my teams and I have had to be prepared for and respond to.  Several fires, multiple floods, tornado's, hurricanes, snow and ice related storms, and the occasional police responded event which created a media headache are just a few.  If you have ever had an entire building burn to the ground with everything owned and cherished by the valued residents being destroyed or ruined, you would understand the importance of this topic.  We assume our managers and teams know how to deal with these issues, however, until it is experienced you will never understand.  Problem is we also fail to provide training and direction, and often just "expect" the team to  know what to do.  If you think about it, a vast majority of our managers may have never had to deal with a disaster.

To expect the unexpected, we have to train and coach our teams so they are prepared.  I know regional managers and vice presidents that have never dealt with a large or major disaster, simply fall apart when something happened because they were never coached or trained either.  Trust me, this is not something you want to just learn on the job.

If you are interested in how this one day workshop can provide tools your teams will have use, please contact me.  It takes much more than a few policy paragraphs or pages in Operating and Procedures Manual for your team members to be prepared and expect...the unexpected.