UPDATED July 2023

Recent events underscore the need for our community to be prepared!

To learn more about the buildings response plans and capabilities in the event of an emergency situation, you can review our Resident Emergency Procedures Handbook:

Resident Emergency Procedures April 2023

In considering the recent challenges we faced, Owners and residents should be sure to keep us up to date with you contact information. This includes emergency contact information for those you would like us to reach in the event of an emergency or urgent situation.

Resident Contact Info Form July 2023

Don’t hesitate to contact the office with any questions, at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.

UPDATED April 22nd

At the meeting on Monday April 17th, a question was asked about the safety of parking and charging Electric Vehicles in the garage. I consulted our team at Habitat Corporate about this.

We are not aware of any EVs that are not suitable for charging in parking garages. It is possible that some electric vehicles may pose an electrical fire hazard due to various reasons, such as manufacturing defects, improper maintenance, or damage to the charging system or if they have been recalled for safety issues related to their electrical systems, batteries, or charging equipment. These recalls are typically issued by the vehicle manufacturers or relevant regulatory authorities, and it is important for electric vehicle owners to stay updated with any recalls or safety notices related to their specific make and model.

Really, that is no different than combustible engine vehicles.

In general, electric vehicles are designed with safety features to prevent electrical fires, and incidents may be relatively rare.

City building codes and regulations have restrictions on charging electric vehicles in parking garages, depending on factors such as the charging equipment used, the electrical capacity of the garage, and other safety considerations. We are fortunate to have reliable licensed electricians who do this work for us and reasonably apply any code requirements to the work that we have done.

UPDATED April 21st

A BIG THANK YOU, to all the Owners and Residents who attended our Emergency Procedures Town Hall on Monday April 17th. The strong turn out and support for such critical topics, is greatly appreciated!

There were a lot of great questions, and hopefully everyone who attended got some useful guidance for responding to Active Shooter incidents and Fire Emergencies. A very big thank you to the Social Commission who arranged getting the event recorded.

FIRST – You can now view the video on YouTube. The file itself was too big to embed here, so we are introducing our YouTube space, which will be used for this and other videos we are planning in the future. (We already have a couple tutorials posted on the filter changing process, which we will discuss in a future post.)

Unfortunately the slide show did not cooperate with the recording so we created a separate companion video for that:

This is also available as a PDF: Emergency Procedures Town Hall 04.17.23

There were several great questions. A few I will be doing some further research on.

QUESTION: One Owner asked about the possibility of using a “Fire Blanket” as an alternative to a fire extinguisher. Generally, some consider fire blankets to be safer for smothering smaller fires (like a frying pan fire). However, a fire extinguisher is better to use when you can’t get close the fire. Both would be good for an emergency preparedness kit. You can learn more by Google’ing ‘fire blanket’ and ‘fire extinguisher’. There are also great How To videos on YouTube, such as this one for fire blankets:

QUESTION: It was also asked whether residents shouldn’t consider installing heat detectors? Perhaps they could be an alternative to a smoke detector. I can not recommend replacement, but they could be something to supplement the smoke detector. Smoke detectors are mandatory within a few feet of each living space. But a heat detector could be useful in a kitchen. You can learn more via Google searching ‘heat detector’.

UPDATED March 28th

RESCHEDULED TO BE HELD IN PERSON

Monday April 17th In The Party Room

On Monday April 17th at 7pm, join our team in the 2nd Floor Party Room for a presentation on Active Shooter response and preparing for Fire Emergencies.

No matter the emergency, being prepared, alert and aware of your surroundings, and listening for instructions from authorities, can make a difference. Just about any emergency situation can be chaotic and unpredictable as they evolve. Staying connected and prepared mentally can be grounding and help in a substantial way.

Remembering a few simple steps and concepts can make all the difference. We’ll be going over some of the basics in the meeting and taking questions with a specific focus on Active Shooter incidents and Fires. All Owners and residents are strongly urged to join us:

If you can’t make the meeting, just…

…and read the Resident Emergency Procedures Manual, available at www.ptcondo.com/library.

ORIGINAL POST

Please Mark Your Calendars!

We hope everyone available will join us for a ZOOM meeting on Monday March 27th at 7pm to review emergency response procedures. We will be focusing specifically on Active Shooter Response and Fire Emergencies.

Shootings and active shooter incidents have become far too familiar to us recently, both in our region and nationwide, and indeed even worldwide. How individuals respond in the event of such an incident, can mean all the difference in surviving.

Just what do we do if someone starts shooting or waiving a weapon around? That question is rarely answered. While we’ve all seen the horror in news coverage and pictures and memorials over social media, what if such an incident occurs even closer to home? What steps can individuals take to even minimally increase the chance of survival?

We do have specific procedure for our staff and residents to consider and follow in the event of such a situation. To present these materials, we will hold a Town Hall Meeting on Monday March 27th, via ZOOM.

PTCA Resident Emergency Procedures Meeting Via ZOOM

Mar 27, 2023 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Meeting ID #891 1663 4202

Invite Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89116634202

While we can’t guarantee or in any way warrant these procedures will prevent such an incident, or prevent injury and loss of life in the event the worst happens, it is our hope even a small amount of information and preparation can help. We will review steps suggested by DHS if you find yourself caught up in a such a situation either here at Park Tower or even elsewhere.

We will also spend some time reviewing the basics of High Rise fire response and preparation. Remaining calm and following some pretty simple instructions, can be very helpful in most situations. In light of the recent fire event in Kenwood, we will talk about what happened and what residents should expect and plan for should something similar ever occur here.

It is not a matter of if, but when an emergency will happen. We urge all residents and owners to mark your calendar and join us for this very important discussion.

In advance of the meeting, if you have any questions or comments, please write us at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.