Emergencies can happen at the least convenient of times. One such time? The middle of the night. Most people are sleeping, unprepared, and disoriented. Handling emergencies in the middle of the night is not something you can just wing. Your Chicago condo association needs a well-defined emergency response plan that anyone on the board can quickly enact.
What To Do During a Late-Night Emergency
Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes. Some are safety and security-related, in which a call to 911 is always the right move. Others could be maintenance issues. Any type of emergency requires immediate action. The question is usually which type of action do you need to take?
This is where partnering with an association management company that offers 24-hour emergency answering services can be a major benefit to your HOA. Not only can they field calls, but they also are connected to a list of emergency-response contractors who can quickly arrive onsite if a water main line were to break or there is another crisis on the property.
In addition to having emergency contact information updated and available to all residents, you should also prepare your own list of emergency service contacts. Establish relationships with contractors who can provide immediate assistance, such as plumbers, electricians or restoration services. Ensure they are available 24/7 and understand the layout of the property (you should keep a copy of the master site plan in your emergency response plan).
Most emergencies require swift action to triage the situation. After the immediate emergency is handled, conduct a thorough assessment of the situation (this usually can wait until morning). Identify any necessary repairs, improvements to the emergency response plan and steps to prevent similar emergencies in the future.
For more on what to include in your HOA’s emergency response plan, check out this post, and get in touch with us at First Community Management. We partner with more than 115 HOAs in the greater Chicago area on all their association management needs, including providing 24-hour emergency answering service.