A binder on a shelf won’t save lives. A forgotten PDF won’t stop a cyberattack. In today’s world, commercial buildings need emergency plans that actually work.
Todd Greenwald, a commercial real estate veteran with 30+ years of experience, warns that far too many emergency plans check a box but may not work in an actual event. In today’s world, where workplace violence, cyberattacks and other critical events can strike without warning, a minimal approach is no longer enough.
Greenwald argues that facility leaders must rethink how they approach emergencies. Rather than focusing solely on reactive preparedness, he says organizations must adopt a comprehensive strategy known as critical event management (CEM).
“Everybody thinks they’re ready and everybody thinks that their plan is good,” Greenwald says. “I can emphatically say that they are not ready and their plan is not as good as they think.”
In many buildings, emergency action plans exist because regulations require them. These documents often outline procedures for fires, evacuations or other emergencies. Yet Greenwald, who recently authored Critical Event Management: A Business Guide for Commercial Properties, says they are rarely used in real-world crises.
“I think almost everybody’s emergency action plan—the red binder that’s sitting on the shelf somewhere—is outdated,” Greenwald says. “It’s probably not practical, and it’s rarely used.”
Those plans grow stale, and during an unfolding emergency, few people have time to pull out a binder and flip through pages of instructions. In addition, Greenwald says many existing plans are narrow in scope and fail to address the broader operational impacts of disruption.
For example, a fire in a commercial building may damage the physical structure, but it also can affect the building's automation system, access control, alarms and tenant operations.
“People think about a fire as simply putting out the fire,” Greenwald says. “But you have to ask what that event might impact. What if it affects your building’s automation system? What if the fire alarm system doesn’t operate as it should? What if security systems fail?”
He says a comprehensive approach to critical event management begins with understanding how specific threats affect the entire facility.
When 9/11 occurred, Greenwald was managing a federally leased property in Milwaukee and had to coordinate closely with the GSA and Federal Protective Services to develop an effective response strategy. Since then, he has overseen a wide range of critical incidents, including a mass shooting, cyberattacks, fires, floods and more. He defines a critical event as any incident that disrupts building operations or poses a threat to life safety.
“It’s anything that impacts business operations, threatens life safety, or disrupts the operation of a building,” Greenwald says. “It can affect the supply chain to the building, life safety systems or the building itself.”
Because every facility is different, risk assessments must consider site-specific vulnerabilities. A downtown office tower may face different threats than a data center or healthcare facility, he explains.
The first step is identifying potential threats, from workplace violence and infrastructure failures to severe weather or social unrest. After naming those risks, facility managers must evaluate how those events might escalate and what their consequences would be.
For example, if a facility manager is developing a response plan for workplace violence, Greenwald says they need to consider:
The responses to these questions will help a facility manager develop strategies for detection, response, mitigation and recovery.
Post-incident reviews often reveal a widespread problem: communication breakdowns. And these communication gaps often complicate response efforts.
“Communication is almost forgotten about,” he stresses. “The intent is there, but there’s rarely anything executed.”
Greenwald recommends that organizations prioritize transparency and redundancy when developing communication plans. When Greenwald oversaw a workplace violence incident, his team used a mass notification system to alert everyone in the building.
“One of the first things we did was push out a message saying there was a report of an active shooter event and instructed people to put their emergency action plan into action,” he says. “It was transparent without creating chaos.”
Organizations can now simultaneously send alerts via text, email and mobile notifications using modern communication tools. This redundancy helps ensure that critical information reaches building occupants quickly.
Communication strategies should also extend beyond tenants and employees, he adds. To ensure the public gets accurate information when needed, Greenwald suggests organizations cultivate relationships with local media.
“They’re going to find out about an event anyway,” Greenwald says. “If the public needs to know what’s happening, the media can be a valuable partner.”
Technology plays a growing role in critical event management. Cloud-based systems can store emergency plans and make them accessible from anywhere, ensuring that key information is available during a crisis.
“If you can’t get to that binder, what’s the value?” Greenwald says. “Keeping plans in the cloud allows teams to access them wherever they are.”
Beyond document storage, he says advanced property technology (PropTech) platforms can provide real-time intelligence and support emergency responses.
For example, some systems can create detailed digital maps of buildings using military-style grid systems. During emergencies, these maps can be shared with first responders to coordinate movement in complex facilities.
“First responders can say they’re going to grid A2, door C12, and everyone knows exactly where that is,” Greenwald says. “It becomes invaluable for response coordination.”
Other available technologies can monitor weather threats, track potential demonstrations or civil unrest near properties, and provide predictive alerts that can help organizations prepare before events escalate.
Together, he says these tools transform emergency responses from a reactive process into a proactive strategy.
Managing critical events ensures safety and also safeguards a property's financial health, according to Greenwald.
When a building becomes unusable due to a fire, flood or security incident, the economic impact can be enormous. Tenants may lose revenue, employees may be unable to work and property owners may face reputational damage.
“The downtime that could be created when a building becomes unusable can cost millions,” Greenwald says.
He says that real-world, blunt conversations and a free exchange of ideas among property owners, facility managers and tenants is required to quantify those risks.
“Ask tenants what their financial impact will be if they can’t access the building for a week,” he says. “Those kinds of discussions help everyone understand the stakes.”
The benefit of these discussions is that stakeholders find it easier to back investments in technology, training and emergency planning once they're aware of the potential negative outcomes.
“People hate spending money on ‘what if’ scenarios,” Greenwald says. “But you’re already paying for insurance. This is about protecting operations before the damage happens.”
Greenwald believes facility managers must play a central role in critical event planning. Yet, he says, they are often brought into discussions too late.
“I think facility managers are often overlooked,” he says. “But their insight is invaluable. These leaders understand day-to-day operations better than anyone.”
Hands-on familiarity with building systems allows facility managers to pinpoint operational risks that might otherwise go unnoticed. Their expertise can lead to better, more practical emergency strategies.
“I believe facility managers should be the lead person when these plans are first developed,” Greenwald says.
Even the best plans require regular testing. Without practice, organizations may not know whether their procedures will work in actual emergencies.
Greenwald recommends a mix of internal scenario exercises and larger drills involving tenants.
“Stress tests are a good starting point,” he says. “Run scenarios with your internal team and ask what you would do if a certain situation occurred.”
Full-scale drills, such as annual evacuation exercises, allow organizations to evaluate how building systems, tenants and response procedures interact.
After each test, stakeholders should meet to discuss what worked, what failed and what can be done to improve the plan.
“A successful test has to be comprehensive, and you have to get everyone together afterward to think about what worked and what didn’t,” he says. “The transparency and communication that come out of those discussions make the entire system stronger.”
Ultimately, Greenwald believes the industry must move beyond a “check-the-box” mentality.
Emergency plans should not exist just to satisfy regulations or insurance requirements. They should function as practical frameworks that help organizations respond effectively to real-world crises.
“Critical events will happen,” Greenwald says. “It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.”
By embracing comprehensive risk assessments, modern technology, stakeholder collaboration and continuous testing, facility leaders can transform emergency preparedness into a strategic advantage.
“People need to make emergency planning a priority,” Greenwald says. “When an event happens, the impact isn’t just on the building. Critical events affect businesses, reputations and entire communities.”
Greenwald’s book, Critical Event Management: A Business Guide for Commercial Properties, is available here.
Ronnie Wendt is a freelance writer based in Minocqua, Wisconsin.
