September 11 is a day of remembrance.
Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, we continue to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost, the families forever changed, and the first responders, public servants, volunteers, neighbors, and ordinary citizens who demonstrated extraordinary courage in the hours and days that followed.
For communities across Colorado, September 11 is also an appropriate time to reflect on something that applies far beyond that tragic day: the importance of being prepared before an emergency occurs.
Emergencies rarely arrive when it is convenient. Wildfires, severe weather, power outages, flooding, infrastructure failures, and other unexpected events can quickly disrupt a community. While an HOA or condominium association cannot anticipate every emergency, boards can take reasonable steps to prepare their communities to respond when something goes wrong.
If an emergency affected your community tomorrow, would your board know what to do, who to contact, and how to communicate with residents?
Remembering September 11
For many Americans, September 11 remains a deeply personal day.
It is a day to honor those who lost their lives and those who responded without knowing what dangers they might face. It is also a reminder of the importance of community, communication, leadership, and helping one another during moments of uncertainty.
Community associations are obviously not emergency-response agencies, and volunteer board members should not be expected to perform the work of police, fire departments, emergency management agencies, or other trained professionals.
They do, however, have an important role in preparing for disruptions that affect association property, operations, and communication.
Crisis Planning Starts Before the Crisis
An emergency plan does not need to anticipate every possible scenario. Its purpose is to establish a framework that helps board members and management respond in an organized manner.
A useful starting point is answering several basic questions:
Who Has Authority to Make Decisions?
Boards should understand how decisions will be made if normal operations are disrupted.
Who can authorize emergency expenditures? Who contacts vendors? Who communicates with residents? What happens if the board president or community manager is unavailable?
These questions are much easier to resolve during a normal board meeting than in the middle of an emergency.
How Will the Association Communicate?
Reliable communication is one of the most important components of emergency preparedness.
Associations should maintain current owner and resident contact information when appropriate and understand which communication tools are available to them.
Depending on the community, those tools might include:
Email notifications
Text or emergency notification systems
Resident portals or community websites
Posted notices
Telephone communication
Coordination with local emergency authorities
Boards should also identify who is responsible for sending association communications so residents receive consistent and accurate information.
During an emergency, speed matters, but accuracy matters more. Associations should avoid speculation and direct residents to appropriate public safety agencies for official emergency instructions.
Know Your Community's Risks
Emergency planning should reflect the actual characteristics of the community.
A mountain community may have very different concerns than a condominium building in the Denver metro area. Likewise, a large master-planned community may require a different response structure than a small townhome association.
Colorado communities may need to consider risks such as:
Wildfire
Communities near the wildland-urban interface should understand evacuation resources, emergency access considerations, defensible-space responsibilities, and how the association would communicate if wildfire threatened the area.
Severe Weather
Colorado weather can change rapidly. Hail, heavy snow, high winds, extreme cold, and severe thunderstorms can damage common elements and interrupt utilities or access.
Extended Utility Outages
A prolonged electrical, water, gas, internet, elevator, or other utility interruption can create significant operational challenges, particularly for condominium and multifamily communities.
Flooding
Communities near waterways, drainage facilities, slopes, or other areas susceptible to flooding should understand their potential exposure and the association's responsibilities for common infrastructure.
The goal is not for a board to become an expert in emergency management. The goal is to understand the community's vulnerabilities and know which qualified professionals and public agencies to rely upon.
Prepare the Association Operationally
Emergency preparedness also means protecting the association's ability to continue operating.
Boards and management should consider whether important information can be accessed if the normal office, computer, or individual responsible for maintaining it is unavailable.
Critical information may include:
Insurance policies and claim information
Vendor and emergency contractor contacts
Governing documents
Banking and financial information
Utility contacts and account information
Building plans or important property information, when available
Board and management contact information
Current contracts
Emergency access information
Appropriate security and privacy protections should always be maintained when storing sensitive association information.
Build Relationships Before You Need Them
The middle of an emergency is a difficult time to begin searching for qualified contractors.
Associations should know who they will contact for critical services such as water mitigation, plumbing, electrical work, roofing, snow removal, restoration, elevator service, fire protection systems, and other services appropriate for the property.
Management companies can play an important role by helping boards establish these relationships, maintain vendor information, coordinate response efforts, and document decisions and expenditures.
Boards should also understand when a situation needs to move beyond management and vendors to emergency services, insurance professionals, legal counsel, engineers, or other qualified experts.
Residents Have a Role Too
Association preparedness is only one part of community preparedness.
Residents should also be encouraged to develop their own household emergency plans, maintain appropriate emergency supplies, understand evacuation procedures, and follow instructions from local public safety officials.
An association's emergency plan should never create the impression that the HOA is replacing professional emergency services or assuming responsibility for residents' individual emergency preparedness.
Instead, the association can help residents understand where to obtain reliable information and what resources are available within their community.
Review the Plan Regularly
A plan that nobody can find or that contains outdated information will provide little help during an emergency.
Boards should periodically review emergency procedures and confirm that:
Contact information remains current
Emergency vendors are still available
Board and management responsibilities are understood
Insurance information is current
Communication systems are functioning
New risks or property conditions have been considered
For communities with complex buildings, significant infrastructure, wildfire exposure, or other specialized risks, boards should consider whether assistance from qualified emergency planning, engineering, fire mitigation, insurance, or other professionals is appropriate.
A Colorado Community Is Stronger When It Is Prepared
September 11 reminds us of tremendous loss, but it also reminds us of extraordinary service, courage, and the strength that can emerge when people work together during difficult circumstances.
For HOA and condominium boards, emergency preparedness is one way to put that lesson into practice.
Boards cannot predict every crisis, and they cannot eliminate every risk. They can establish communication systems, understand responsibilities, maintain important information, build relationships with qualified professionals, and create a framework for making informed decisions when circumstances become difficult.
On this September 11, we remember those whose lives were lost, honor those who responded, and recognize the importance of communities being prepared to support one another when it matters most.
At Colorado Community Management, we believe strong communities are built through preparation, communication, transparency, and responsible leadership.
Elevated Management – Earned Trust.
