One might think the world is coming to an end, with all of the hurricanes, earthquakes and fires. But it’s not. However, it is the perfect time to establish (or reestablish) a strong message of preparedness to your clients. It doesn’t hurt that September is National Preparedness Month and National Fire Prevention Week takes place in October (the 8th through the 14th this year). The convergence of these circumstances makes right now the perfect time to remind clients just who is responsible for their safety – they are. We must remind them that we cannot always predict emergencies, but we can prepare for them. The trick is to also to communicate that emergencies don’t have to be big to be devastating. Anyone who’s had the job of addressing a coffee maker water leak over a (inevitably long) weekend can attest to the difficulty of getting operations back to normal, particularly without a plan to bring operations back up in the first place.
But, executing a widely adhered to fire/life safety program is akin to herding cats. Let’s be honest, only about 1/5th of clients are enthused by the prospect of fire/life safety training and that’s probably a high guestimate. In fact, almost no one volunteers to be on the floor response team. Those final team members were most likely either on vacation, sick or in a meeting (at lunch?) when they were drafted; just after management realizes that they haven’t replaced their searchers and elevator monitors (or named them in the first place).
So, let’s fix that shall we?
First, shape the mindset for your property; be the influencer.
If safety is important to you and your team, it will be more than apparent to your clients. It’s not necessary for it to be a passion, but why shouldn’t it be? Not only would you be showing your commitment to life (a good thing), you take it seriously and your staff takes you seriously. Be active in the writing/updating of your emergency plan. Know your plan, your property and local first responders. Conduct tabletop exercises for your team on a quarterly basis (this is for your team; you want to be able to speak freely amongst yourselves). Exercises on elevator entrapment, active shooter, suspicious package, fire, water intrusion or shelter in place are good stalwarts. Coming up with your own situations, based on the location or geography of the property will gave extra meaning and context to clients. Quarterly trainings are a very good way to get attendance up. Four times a year is more than once a year (duh!) but not too much of a time sucker. Throw in good food and maybe a prize or two (more on that shortly), they will come willingly. Get them looking forward to training events.
Second, sow envy.
Make the floor response team something people want to do.
After any contest, fete those winners! Make them special. Make them enviable. Make them soldiers for safety. Feed your soldiers! People love food; it is a reward. Be sure to announce winners and participants in your newsletters and memoranda. Add in special forms of identification that signify their position as members of the exalted floor response team, like branded hats and vests. Realize that people like to be identified (acknowledged) and they like to have something others don’t. Make them want to participate in “boring” things precisely because there’s something more in it for them.
Third, indulge in bribery. Incentivize being an engaged member of the response team.
Current events are certainly going to get you a receptive audience in the short term. However, when the memories of the flooding/fires/earthquakes fade from memory, it’s a little harder to get people engaged in their own safety. And you want them to take charge as well as responsibility for their own safety. How to help make that happen? Give things away and feed them at every opportunity (see, I told you I’d get back to it). The items do not have to be expensive, but it’s always a good idea to give away things people might want to win. Skip branded pens, notebooks and other such swag, by getting vendors to donate items and setting aside a modest sum in the budget of say $1,000 that certainly should cover your needs. Hold safety theme trivia contests throughout the year with questions about the property, evacuation or general life/safety.
Fourth, repetition, repetition, repetition; become a broken record.
Follow through with frequent, consistent reminders, tips and announcements, as well as general recaps of current events to illustrate why life safety is important everyday and in every situation. By acknowledging the world and what’s happening in it, you re-enforce your place a manager who cares about what happens to your clients. Stay on that theme, by including tips on life outside of the property. Home and family are usually good starting place. For instance, a reminder that smoke alarms (no longer called smoke detectors) should have the batteries be changed out twice a year in your memo about Daylight Savings Time happens to be an excellent time to change them
Finally, remember that's it’s all entertainment.
It’s no secret that we humans adore being entertained. Why should life safety training be any different? One of the most common complaints I’ve heard over the years is that the sessions are boring and don’t teach anything new or even interesting. Think about that for a moment. Our clients are saying that not only do they wish we’d teach them useful things, they’d like them delivered in an interesting manner. So, why not oblige them? Choose an interesting, nay, entertaining instructor. Sit through it yourself. Have your staff attend. Feed the audience. Give away things. Make sure it’s interactive. Just think, would you to your training if you didn’t have to If you can honestly answer yes to that question then you're already on the right road.
Shall we recap?
• Set the agenda
• Inspire envy
• Bribe your targets
• Repeat yourself often
• Amuse the masses
Someone may save themselves yet, with a little help from the property manager.
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