Rebuilding in Haiti

Another serious topic today!

The recent earthquake disaster in Haiti will require extensive rebuilding of the country’s emergency response systems and infrastructure. Unfortunately, as a poor nation, many Haitians did not have the proper resources to ensure emergency preparedness. The only positive thing about the catastrophe is that it has given the country the opportunity to focus on ways to ensure better response times for future disasters.

But the application doesn’t stop in Haiti. Some of the hard-learned lessons of the Haiti earthquake can be applied to emergency planning for your buildings. These include the importance of following code standards, maintaining the infrastructure of the building, and making sure that communications procedures are established and followed. Disasters can and will happen, and proper preparation can minimize losses and quicken the pace of rebuilding.

Several aspects of emergency management will need to be rebuilt in Haiti:

Earthquake Codes:

• Focus will be on implementing new building codes
• Some studies focus on minimizing population densities and overcrowding
• Authorities and aid organizations will need to provide assistance to lower income families who cannot afford to meet code regulations which would eliminate unregulated and unsafe structures
• Scientists say that future earthquakes are likely and Haiti should be prepared
• New codes are especially important for multi-story buildings such as offices or hotels
• Many homes in Haiti were built in stages, which led to inconsistent foundation standards

Emergency Planning:

• Seismologists warned of the threat of earthquake potential, but most warnings went unheeded
• Proper planning includes distribution of emergency kits to residents, designated relief zones, and equipment for the clearing of debris from roads

Infrastructure Needs:

• Prior to the disaster, Haiti’s airport, ports and road systems were in need of repair. Strengthening of the infrastructure will allow for faster emergency response.
• Bringing water and sanitation up to modern standards will improve the distribution of emergency supplies and information
• Veterinary teams to enter Haiti – which is good news for my feline and canine friends

Communications:

• Secure communications are a key to coordinating relief in times of a disaster
• Telephone and Internet systems need to be improved
• Communication systems allow individuals to quickly get needed information in terms of where food or medical relief can be located, or where to find temporary shelters

We encourage all of our readers to donate to Haiti Relief by visiting the American Red Cross.

I would also like to give a special thank you to all of the rescue dogs that searched for survivors. Here’s a story about a Tampa-based rescue team. The dogs are named Party Girl, Cinder, Powder, and Doak. This kind of contribution makes me proud to be an animal.

Visit www.RJWestmore.com for information about our emergency training program. BE SAFE.

Office Fire is a Serious Subject

Occasionally, we have to tackle serious subjects. Today, we’re dealing with one such topic… building fire safety. According to my good pals at the National Fire Protection Agency, there were 112,000 non-residential structure fires in 2008 which resulted in $3.8 billion in property damages.  Those really tall buildings are especially at risk as fires can spread rapidly and higher floors are can be out of reach for even the largest fire trucks.

Building owners should work closely with tenants to discuss fire hazards to prevent loss of property or life. The potential loss of sensitive data or documents should make them a relatively receptive audience. I know that my ears would certainly perk up if someone told me there that my doghouse is at risk.

Reducing the incidence of fires in buildings can be reduced by identifying contributing factors and minimizing risks. Come to think of it, that’s the best way to handle any type of hazard!

Space heaters:

In enclosed spaces near papers, these are famous for starting fires.

• Space heaters use a lot of electricity and the use of several units can lead to high utility bills
• Older space heaters that don’t have auto shutoff can start fire if they are tipped over

Office Equipment and Appliances:

• Make sure that coffee makers, copiers and computers have plenty of clearance for proper air circulation.
• Papers should not be stacked on or around equipment. (This includes puppy training papers, too.)
• Restrict the use of hotplates and other portable heating items. (I prefer my food right out of the can. No need for heating.)

Wiring and Power:

• Older wiring that is mixed with newer wiring can lead to sparking, which can cause fires.
• Buildings that fail to keep current with electrical code standards are particularly at risk.
• Overuse of extension cords and power strips can lead to fire. This risk has increased, recently, since people at home and work use so many electronic devices. Overloaded circuits or power cords routed under combustible carpets can also lead to fire.

Combustible materials:

• Modern offices typically have highly combustible materials such as file folders, wooden partitions, upholstered furniture, carpeted floors, and wooden doors
• Combustibles can be decreased by choosing metal furniture, installing fire-rated doors, and moving towards paperless record keeping

Smoking:

Don’t forget about cigarettes! Cigarettes and cigars remain among the leading causes of fire. Even in buildings that prohibit smoking inside buildings, some unruly tenants may not comply with regulations. Strict enforcement of no-smoking policies and the provision of safe outside smoking areas can keep recreational smoking from leading to fire. Outside ash containers should be heavy so they will not tip over. And caution should be taken when disposing of ash.

Fire risks can be greatly reduced by establishing and enforcing safety policies for all of your tenants. The RJ Westmore Training System can help you mitigate these and other potential disasters. Visit my friends at RJ Westmore.com and ask about the recently released Version 2.0 of our award-winning training program. Choosing our program cuts property management training related workloads by 90% and saves you over 50% compared to conventional training!

Most importantly, IT SAVES LIVES!

Version 2.0 is available to RJ Wesmore clients at no additional charge.

The new RJ Westmore Training System is here! Version 2.0 is packed great features which include even more integration and automation that brings together property/ facility managers, fire safety directors , floor wardens, occupants and local fire departments. (Now, if only it came with some rawhide bones and chew toys…)

Version 2.0 Features:

• Real-time reporting with just one click—
  • Identify tenants that need special assistance to evacuate in the case of emergency
  • Have ready access to lists of primary and alternate floor wardens organized by floor
  • Building-specific information is ready available to building management as well as local fire departments
    • Automatic email notification to property management and the fire safety director each time either the special assistance or floor warden list is updated by users.

• Improved Fire Department access—
  • Access to all RJ Westmore Online Training System companies in the city through one home page (This is my favorite features because I love keeping all of the other Dalmatians informed!)
  • Monitoring of individual building testing and training for all building occupants, including floor wardens and fire safety directors
  • Fire Department approved across the United States and compliant with FDNY LL26, LAFD 57.33.19, as well as Federal OSHA and individual State fire codes.

• Automated features—
  • Automatically creates and sends certificates of completion to each user
  • Sends employee compliance reports for each tenant
  • Sends annual renewal reminders to each user (I usually just bark loudly when I want to send out a reminder.)

• Improved confidentiality and system control—
  • Controls information distribution with multiple tiers of system access
  • Grants access to confidential info such as maps and emergency plans

The RJ Westmore Inc. Safety Training System Version 2.0 gives building owners a complete picture of their emergency preparedness. We map out your exterior refuge map with a satellite picture of your building. We map out the lobby of your building and work out the best exit routes. Elevator banks and stairwells are graphed, to show a comprehensive picture of accessibility and egress.

More info about the Version 2.0 rollout

• 30-day implementation with a simple monthly fee
• All updates, training, and other resources are provided at no additional charge
• Training and procedures are available for any kind of disaster, whether it be manmade or natural

If you own or manage a building, or know someone who does, do them a favor. Let them know about the RJWestmore Training System. Choosing our service provides a value added tenant service that limits property management and individual tenant liability. Furthermore, it cuts property management training related workloads by 90% and saves users over 50% compared to conventional training! More importantly, it saves lives. BE SAFE.

Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List

Searching for holiday’s gifts can be a chore. I’m easy. Give me a rawhide bone and maybe a new coat of paint on the doghouse and I’m happy. For other people, it’s hard to find gifts that are actually useful.

What about giving a gift that is both practical and potentially life-saving? I’m talking about emergency preparedness! The best result of giving such a gift is that it gets recipients to consider whether they are prepared for emergencies. Maybe your gift will encourage someone to write down a complete emergency plan with exit routes, meeting locations, and a written inventory of supplies and equipment.

“Disasters can happen anytime, anywhere and the holiday season provides a great opportunity to ensure that you and your loved ones are taking simple steps to be prepared,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.” Our friends at FEMA put together a list of great gifts for the holidays, and we took a closer look at a few of them.

For all of these gifts, consider buying a high-quality item that will last a long time. There’s nothing worse than finding a defective piece of equipment during a real emergency. So be sure your gifts come from reputable companies.

Flashlights and lamps:

• Essential for all emergencies, battery-powered flashlights and lamps allow you navigate nighttime emergencies, safely
• Great for signaling rescuers

Disaster kit:

• Every complete disaster kit requires a First Aid Kit that comes with an injury manual that shows you how to use the supplies
• Other important items include Thermal Blankets and specially-packaged water and food

Fire extinguishers:

• A quality fire extinguisher can save lives and homes
• Even if your gift recipient has extinguishers, they might be very old and expired (extinguishers are no good if they don’t work when you need them!)
• Read about the different types of extinguishers before purchasing

Other gifts mentioned on FEMA’s list include NOAA weather radios, foldable ladders, enrollment into a CPR class, smoke detectors, and car emergency kits.

With all of these gifts, I’m sure all of your recipients will appreciate them because they show you really care! And that’s what the holidays are all about! BE SAFE.

Family Preparedness is Critical for Any Pack

Planning for an emergency is a project for every family member. Get your pups or children involved in preparedness to help them understand how important it is to be prepared and encourage them to remain calm under stress. Emergencies could happen when you are away and the rest of your pack is at home. So be sure the babysitter knows your emergency plans, too.

Earthquakes. Floods. Fire. Not fun things to talk about. But, if one of these emergencies strike, will your family be prepared?

The first step is to figure out what types of events might occur. Fire happens no matter where you live. Working at the firehouse, I know this all too well. Earthquakes are more regional; but remember, earthquakes have hit in some unexpected places. Floods are more common in some areas than others. So, if your home or doghouse is located in a floodplain, be sure you establish emergency plans to share with your relatives and neighbors. Sharing the information with cats is optional.

So how exactly can you get your kids involved?

• Do a home hazard scavenger hunt to teach our brood about dangerous objects. Have them check every large piece of furniture to make sure everything is secured to a wall. What about paintings and other loose items? Imagine an earthquake. What could, potentially happen to prized possessions like bones or food bowls?

• Make an emergency kit! FEMA has a great online matching game that helps kids picture the key contents of emergency kit. And don’t forget flashlights and canned goods. Alpo and Pedigree are my personal favorites.

• After you put together your kit, it is time to plan! Get your kids involved. And, if you have hands instead of paws, write out the plan. Also, consider including some simple designs, clip art or pictures to make it easy for younger kids to understand.

Here are some key points to cover:

• Notes  about each family member
• Phone numbers. Don’t forget to include the names of folks who live far away in case the emergency knocks out local communications. Put copies of photos in the plan, too, so they can be easily distributed if anyone goes missing.
• Make sure everyone understands escape routes and the group meeting area.
• Large families can get older kids to watch over the younger ones
• Ready.gov has a good emergency plan template

After a disaster, you will need to make sure all of your family members are present and accounted for. Then, its contact agencies such as your local Red Cross and to keep watch on alerts from FEMA

With proper planning, you can help make sure your family stays safe in if and when a real emergency strikes. The most important thing is to make sure everyone is involved. BE SAFE.

Get Ready for Holiday Travel

How to Prepare for Traveling this Season

It’s the time of the year for turkey, shiny lights, and Hanukkah candles. It also means lots of Christmas and New Years’ travel. If you plan on flying this season, you should know that our friends at the TSA have announced some new tips to help ease your journey.

The TSA has a new Secure Flight program for ticketing:

• Secure Flight improves flying watch-list matches. This should help you get through the line more quickly than if they hadn’t made this change.
• Family members need to provide photo identification, date of birth, and state gender. (If you don’t like the picture on your driver’s license, don’t worry. The TSA agents have seen worse.
• Cooperate with TSA members to make sure no one on the “Do Not Fly” list gets on the airplane.
• Important tip – when you book your reservation, use the same name that appears on your ID. Don’t use nicknames or shortened names. That means I will have to use RJ the Fire Dog instead of the nickname RJ if the DMV ever changes the dumb rule about not issuing drivers’ licenses to dogs.

Family Lanes:

• Special security line for those with families or infrequent travelers that are unfamiliar with airport screening procedures. My son, JR, might be in this category since he’s never been on an airplane. He’s not as well-traveled as his father.
• Is your baby formula or insulin packaged in a container that is larger than 3 ounces? If so, go through a family lane and a specially-trained TSA agent will help you out. But I wonder. Do they make insulin in handy warehouse-sized packages? Just wondering…
• Allows TSA agents the opportunity to properly check for liquid explosive materials. (Would that include the expanding gel in dirty disposable diapers?)

What’s the 3-1-1 Rule?

• Here’s something that makes sense. Go figure. The 3-1-1 Rule involves a 3, a 1, and another 1.
• Liquids and aerosols should be in packages of 3.4 ounces or less.
• Consolidate items into 1 plastic zip bag
• There is a per-person limit of 1 quart-sized bag of liquids (How many liquids do you need on an airplane anyway? Don’t they serve coffee, tea and milk?)
• Save the TSA agents’ time by having your bag of liquids outside of your carry-on and ready for inspection. (This will also make it easier to snack, if you enjoy hairspray or, like me, an occasional lick of hand lotion.)

Traveling with food or gifts?

Many of you will be bringing gifts to your destination (and, if you’ve been good this year, maybe even returning home with some). The TSA has guidelines on gifts.

If you have any liquid gifts such as wine, maple syrup or even a snow globe (which I don’t recommend for eating), you should either pack the gift in your checked luggage or just ship it to yourself. But make sure you don’t have to be there when it arrives in case Fed Ex or UPS are quicker than your plane.

And remember, don’t spend time wrapping gifts with that special reindeer paper, since the TSA agents will need to unwrap and check each and every package looking for things to steal. Just kidding. They are all very honest at the TSA, or so I’ve been told!

Finally, the TSA is reminding travelers to report any suspicious activity to an agent. Don’t be afraid to bark if something doesn’t seem right. Keep all of these tips in mind and traveling will be a lot smoother for everyone. Happy Holidays from the folks at RJWestmore. And whichever holiday you celebrate, we hope you’ll BE SAFE.

High-Rise Safety Codes Can Save Your Life

Let’s face it. Code talk is dry. Even though I’m in the business of fire safety and disaster prevention, reading through codes and the like puts me to sleep. But sometimes we need to talk code because knowing safety-related stuff like this will help protect you whether you own, live or work in a building. And, besides those of us who live in doghouses, this covers us all.

So here are the new codes, in brief:

• All of the guidelines are meant for high-rise buildings, which have floors located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.
• Impact-resistant walls in elevators should protect from potential fire-related blasts or projectiles.
• New requirements focus on extra redundancies to sprinkler risers. (If there’s anything I hate, it is redundant redundancies.)
• A minimum of two water mains must be connected to the fire pump water supply.
• New Smoke removal requirements are set for buildings in the cleanup phase after a fire.
• Electrically-powered fire pumps must be under an emergency power load.
• To decrease the risk of injuries, new requirements aid the movement of occupants out of buildings. Knowing how to safety exit a building in case of emergency makes sense to me.
• New rules regarding the required distance between exit stairway enclosures have been established.
• During emergencies, official personnel need to use stairways. So new guidelines allow for additional exits.
• Luminous egress path markings will ensure that building occupants know exactly where to go. Lighting the way should cut down on confusion in cases of emergency.
• New requirements for a fire service access elevator will give firefighters a safe and fast way to reach staging areas. This should help cut down on the time it takes to fight fires.
• Occupant elevators can be used for evacuation, if the new, specific requirements are met.
• Also good news, completion of the requirements may allow exemption from the additional stairway requirement mentioned earlier.

Be sure to review the detailed requirements before implementing changes. Visit the International Code Council website for more information or check out the complete list of new requirements at RJ Westmore Inc. RJ Westmore is a credible source for property managers and owners to learn about building-related issues. Refer your colleagues to our blog so they can also stay informed about the latest industry trends. And, no matter how dry the code may be, make sure you do what it takes to BE SAFE.

Fire Safety is for Everyone

Since Europe, North America and areas of the Asian/Pacific region have adopted new fire safety practices, they have reduced their fire-related fatalities by up to 50%. The United States is following suit by having the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) conduct research on new fire prevention and fire safety techniques.

Researchers have examined the benefits of improvements made by other countries, and insist that adopting some, if not all, of these safety methods can save the lives of citizens and fire-safety personnel (like me!)

Since I’m a firedog, this is of particular interest to me. Who would have guessed so many injuries and deaths could have been prevented by resisting the temptation to take the battery out of the smoke-detector to put it into the television remote control? Or that beating the screeching smoke alarm to death with a broom, after making a particularly smoky batch of cookies, could actually end up putting you and your family in danger?

Some of the firefighters down at the station have been making house calls, and talking to people about how important it is to be prepared for fire. If you do simple things like creating a fire-escape plan, you can greatly increase your chances for successfully exiting a burning house.

Of course, no one likes to consider that their own home might ever catch on fire. But it’s important to have a basic knowledge of fire-safety, just in case.

Nations across the globe that have adopted these fire prevention techniques emphasize the significance of maintaining a working fire alarm. Though not all families have the money to pay for a fire alarm, and while some might not be able to figure out how to install one, most communities have programs that will cover fire alarm installation for those who live in high-risk areas. If you live in one of these areas or think that you might, all you have to do is call your local fire station, and we’ll be more than happy to assist you.  To see the entire list of fire safety instructions, visit the RJ Westmore Inc. website.  And don’t forget to have a great week, and to BE SAFE!

Is your cyber life secure?

Since October marked National Cyber Security Awareness Month, why am I blogging about it now, in November? You might think it’s because I’m a Dalmatian, so I don’t have a calendar. But, in fact, the real reason is that the importance of cyber security is a topic that deserves our attention all year round.

Since nearly everything any of us do these days is tied, at least in some way, to computers, cyber security efforts are important for man and beast, alike. If one part of your system takes a hit, the whole thing can collapse. So, in the same way we stress the importance of stopping the spread of infectious diseases by taking action early on, we want to make sure that everyone understands that stopping cyber-threats in their tracks will also save time and money.

The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) reports that small businesses’ cyber-security policies and actions are not adequate to ensure the safety of their employees’ intellectual property and customer data. I’m not sure what intellectual property is. But it sounds like something worth protecting.

The Department of Homeland Security offers tips for cyber-security:

• Keeping your software up to date. This is an easy way to guard against a cyber attack.
• Set your computer to automatically update your virus protection software.
• Regularly update your operating system and software.
• Back up your files. If you have important files stored on your computer, copy them onto a removable disc and store it in a safe place. But I wonder. If you have files that are not important, why are you keeping them at all?

For more ideas about how to stop cyber terrorists, check out the tips we cover on the corporate blog at RJ Westmore, Inc. We encourage property managers and owners to think about cyber security.

And check back here often for updates about cyber security and other important safety issues. We hope these tips will help you to BE SAFE.

PS-Prep will help the private sector BE SAFE.

Disaster preparedness is a main priority for any fire dog, or anyone else who cares about being safe. At the fire station, we get plenty of calls to assist in horrible disasters which might have been prevented with simple routine safety checks and adjustments. 

I’ve seen entire buildings condemned, and employees lose their jobs, all due to faulty wiring. Private and publically held companies, such as hospitals, universities, stadiums, non-profit organizations, and others that fail to establish and maintain safety standards face disasters.

Fortunately, the Department of Homeland Security has recently announced a new program called PS-Prep which introduces safety standards for these types of businesses as well as non-profit organizations. With PS-Prep, a third-party assessor evaluates organizations to determine preparedness. He or she checks out the current safety provisions and then certifies the company if it’s up to par.

With certification comes a certain degree of confidence that employers and employees have taken necessary steps to eliminate potential disasters. This is a good thing, because it means more tragedies can be averted.

With PS-Prep, everybody wins, because the fewer the number of dismembered bodies my crew and I have to drag out of a terrorist-targeted pile of rubble, the better. I’m kidding, of course. But the reality is that preparation and prevention are the best ways to handle any emergency.

For more tips on how to be prepared so you can be safe in the event of an emergency, visit RJWestmore, Inc. Another helpful resource is provided by the National Fire Protection Association, which is making their standards available at no cost. Regardless of whether your company decides to take advantage of the new PS-Prep Program, it’s important that you do whatever it takes to BE SAFE!