博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台’s Preparedness Committee: Ensuring the safety and security of our buildings and communities

By Erin Parks, 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 Preparedness Committee Chair

There is an ironic and unfortunate truth surrounding safety and security in the commercial real estate industry. As we benefit from advances in security and emergency preparedness – in regard to technology, strategy and policies/procedures – so too do the capabilities of those who wish to compromise it.

This is one of the ongoing challenges our industry is constantly working to address. Yet by staying ahead of the game through the consistent analysis of risks, 威胁和行业趋势, we are able to better secure our building assets to ensure an enhanced level of safety for our employees, 访客及物业.

准备委员会, our ability to effectively support our members stems from the working relationships we’ve solidified with some of Chicago’s finest government officials. 多年来, we’ve developed a strong partnership with the Chicago Police and Fire Departments, Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), 等. 事实上, an official from each organization attends our monthly committee meetings to provide updates around current Chicago events so we can remain ahead of local activity with potential implications for our members.

As awareness about threats increases, and best practices for prevention, 反应和恢复出现, it’s important for 我们的委员会 to remain active. Over the past couple years, we’ve successfully accomplished several goals on our members’ behalf.

For starters, we’ve had representatives at the OEMC’s monthly Public-Private Task Force meetings. The Task Force is a collaboration between City of Chicago public safety officials and critical private sector entities that provides an ongoing and consistent forum for information sharing, 应急计划, 建立韧性. We have also coordinated appreciation efforts for first responders supporting Chicago’s Central Business District. 另外, members might recall participating in our annual Tabletop Exercise or joining an open meeting aimed at education and emergency preparedness improvement for all building members.

除了这些成就, the passion I have for the Preparedness Committee and 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 continues to grow each and every time I hear a story from one of our members that reaffirms the positive work we are undertaking.

例如, after attending our “Building Emergency Best Practices” panel in 2017, an Assistant Property Manager was able to effectively respond and neutralize a bomb threat at her property. 更鼓舞人心的是, a member of our very own committee performed CPR for 10 minutes on a building tenant suffering a heart attack – and he saved that individual’s life!

While these are just a couple excellent success stories resulting from the work we’ve accomplished, 我们的委员会, steered by our newly developed Advisory Board comprised of property managers, 安全专家, 以及政府代表, is always proactively looking toward the future. The committee’s near-term initiatives include:

• Engaging property managers and building engineers in regular committee events and initiatives.
• Revamping our resource library on the 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 website, where members can find best practices related to security and emergency preparedness, including training modules and take-away documents
• Identifying the best possible channels and venues for providing timely and educational security and preparedness information to our membership (IMPORTANT: Don’t miss our open meeting next Tuesday, March 20 on Emergency Communications)
• Corresponding with city officials about the possibility of conducting large-scale emergency situation drills for our member buildings

Is there a pressing issue we have yet to address or would you like to become more involved? Please reach out to The Preparedness Committee for participation opportunities and the tools to provide a safe and secure environment for your building and tenants.

Erin Parks, CPP, is the Head of Security and 应急准备 with Sterling Bay.