What is an emergency preparedness plan? Everything your HOA or building should know

What is emergency preparedness?

Emergency preparedness is the work a community does before a crisis so residents, board members, building staff, and vendors know what to do when something goes wrong. For a Pennsylvania HOA or building, that may mean preparing for flooding, winter storms, fires, power outages, high winds, evacuations, or long service disruptions.
 

What is an emergency preparedness plan?

An emergency preparedness plan is a written guide that explains how a community will prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. It should identify likely risks, emergency contacts, communication methods, evacuation procedures, building systems, vendor resources, insurance information, HOA rules and regulations, and recovery steps.

For Pennsylvania HOAs, condo associations, and residential buildings, an emergency preparedness plan should be specific to the property. A high-rise with elevators, a townhome community with shared roads, and an HOA with stormwater infrastructure may all need different procedures.
 

What should an emergency preparedness plan include?

A complete emergency preparedness plan may include things like:

• A list of likely risks for the property and region
   
• Board, property management company, staff, vendor, utility, and emergency contacts
   
• Resident communication procedures
   
• Emergency alert methods, such as email, text, phone, and portal updates
   
• Evacuation routes, stairwell information, and assembly areas
   
• Locations of utility shutoffs, generators, fire panels, pumps, and key building systems
   
• Procedures for elevators, access gates, garages, and amenities
   
• Vendor contacts for restoration, plumbing, electrical, roofing, snow removal, security, and tree work
   
• Insurance policies, claim contacts, site plans, and important records
   
• Damage documentation steps, including photos and inspection notes
   
• A recovery checklist for reopening common areas and communicating next steps

The best plan is easy to find, easy to update, and clear enough to use during a stressful moment.
 

Tips for creating an emergency preparedness plan

1. Establish a clear chain of command

   Management should establish a clear chain of command and clearly defined roles for staff to minimize confusion during an emergency. Confirm that you have people on staff who are able to respond appropriately to an emergency at any time.
    

2. Keep essential safety equipment available

   Emergency response equipment, first aid supplies, fire protection, and fire suppression equipment should be on hand and readily available for staff and residents responding to an emergency.
   
   Establish storage areas on designated floors to house emergency supplies, including a stockpile of bottled water, flashlights, LED lanterns, glow sticks, and batteries. Two-way radios are also a good idea for building staff and security in case cell service goes down.
   
   Your community association management company can help you keep an updated checklist of emergency items on hand. Test all emergency generators regularly and keep fuel for them on hand, stored according to safety protocols.
    

3. Prepare residents to evacuate or shelter in place

   Are your residents prepared to shelter in place or evacuate as needed? Do they know where to go if they are required to leave the building quickly? Where are the safest areas in the building? What happens if they cannot re-enter or stay in their residences immediately following an emergency? All of these questions need to be answered in your emergency plan.
    

4. Install and maintain backup systems

   Consider how you can improve building safety, such as installing backup power or generators. Emergency lighting and photoluminescent strips in stairwells and hallways can help reduce confusion and panic in an emergency by directing residents to safety.
    

5. Communicate the plan to everyone in the community

   The best emergency plan in the world is useless if no one knows how to follow it. Share the plan with all residents, building staff, management, and board members.
   
   FirstService Residential Connect™ can also help communities share emergency information quickly.
   
   Through ResidentAlert, managers can send weather alerts, service shutdown notices, community threats, or other urgent updates to the full community or a specific group of residents. The platform can also store important documents, post updates, track work orders, and keep photos or inspection notes organized during recovery.
    

6. Create a building emergency team

   Consider creating a building emergency team comprising board members, staff, building security personnel, and resident volunteers. The role of this team is to lead communication and plan deployment before, during, and after an emergency, as well as to spearhead continued communication efforts to residents throughout the year.
   
   The team can conduct regular safety drills if appropriate, host periodic meetings to share the building’s emergency plan, or update residents on any changes to emergency procedures.
    

7. Partner with local emergency officials

   Some boards work with their local offices of emergency management and fire departments to bring in presentations of important safety information. This not only provides residents with useful information but also helps them feel more secure.
    

8. Maintain reliable emergency communication systems

   No matter how prepared you are, it can be easy for communication to break down during an emergency. It’s critical to maintain a master emergency contact list, including a list of residents with special needs, in both digital and hard-copy formats. Pair that list with a reliable resident alert system that sends automated email, phone, and text messages in an emergency.
   
   It is also very important to make note of apartments with elderly residents or those who may not be able to receive text messages. Appoint floor monitors to assist during all emergencies also. Having that clear chain of command will help keep communication flowing smoothly during an emergency as well.
    

9. Have the right insurance coverage before an emergency happens

   Confirm that the association and homeowners have adequate coverage for emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods, including appropriate flood insurance.
   
   Master policies generally cover common areas, not residents’ belongings. Encourage unit owners to obtain HO-6 insurance with loss assessment coverage, which can help cover the association’s deductible and may prevent homeowners from facing a costly special assessment after a disaster.
   
   Learn more in our guide to Pennsylvania condo insurance.

How a property management company can help

A property management company can help the board organize contacts, building information, vendor resources, resident communications, maintenance records, and plan reviews. Management does not replace first responders, legal counsel, insurance professionals, engineers, or local officials. Instead, it helps the board gather information, communicate clearly, and coordinate next steps with the right professionals during and after an emergency.

To get more information about protecting the financial and physical health of your community association’s assets, contact FirstService Residential, North America's leading community association management company.

This information is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal, regulatory, financial, or operational advice, or as a representation or guarantee of any specific services, capabilities, or outcomes. Property management needs, regulatory requirements, market conditions, and available services vary by jurisdiction, property type, and community. FirstService Residential provides services through locally based affiliates and associates, and services and results may vary by community, region, contractual terms, and applicable law.