We covered life safety features of the building, and procedures recommended to be followed in the event of Fires, Floods, Severe Weather, Active Shooters, Pest Infestations, and More. We also answered great questions from folks in attendance and were even given suggestions to include with future edits of our Emergency Plan and Procedures.
We did not have time to cover everything possible, so as promised below is the full text of our Resident Plan. PLEASE FEEL FREE – If you have questions, concerns or suggestions, no question or thought is worth ignoring. Let us know via e-mail at parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.
(For a PDF Version of this document, Click Here)
BASIC EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
This section provides easy-to-follow instructions in case of an emergency. A separate emergency handbook containing detailed information is available online and from the management office. Residents are advised to notify the management office of any disabilities or special needs to arrange for assistance in the event an evacuation is necessary.
THE CALM, C – A – L – M, METHOD
C – Call 911.
A – Alert building and/or fellow residents.
L – Listen for instructions.
M – Move quickly when instructed to evacuate.
FIRE AND SMOKE
ILLNESS OR INJURY
POWER FAILURE
SEVERE WEATHER
THREATS (Bomb Threats, Crime and Civil Disturbance)
Life safety meetings for residents may be scheduled up to twice per year. Additional information is available from the management office by request.
SPECIFIC PROCEDURES FOR EMERGENCIES
These guidelines address the Park Tower Condominium’s residents’ role in reporting, addressing and responding to emergency situations. The procedures have been documented for your safety and to protect your property. Please review all procedures thoroughly. Keep this document in a convenient location for reference during real emergencies. In most emergency situations, the largest obstacle and threat to personal safety is panic. Our best advice is to stay calm and be aware of your surroundings. Follow any instructions from the staff and public safety authorities to the best of your abilities. If you become aware of an emergency situation, report it immediately according to the instructions that follow.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION
The Park Tower is designed with many safety features for your protection. These include:
The Park Tower Condominium’s management and staff are here to assist you during emergencies and have been trained on specific procedures that will enhance your safety and building security. Please follow their instructions and those of our public safety representatives in the event of an emergency.
Emergency Contact Information
It is vital that you keep your emergency contact information updated with Management. For that purpose you will find a copy of the form used to keep the Association’s records in order and as up to date as possible. It is wise to complete this form annually, or whenever any portion of your contact information has changed. There is space for you to indicate individuals we can contact in the event of an emergency. We recommend friends or family, and specifically someone you can trust to help address any emergency situation that could arise.
We also ask, for your personal safety, to advise us if there is anything at all that could be a cause of concern during an emergency, specifically if you have any special needs or conditions that we should be aware of. There is space available on the form for this purpose.
In addition, Management maintains an e-mail list to which regular news and notices are sent. This includes announcements and instructions related to emergencies. To the extent possible, this list will be utilized to send “e-blasts” to residents during and after emergencies. You can join this e-mail list by contacting the office at 773-769-3250 or sending a request to parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.
(For electronic version of this form, Click Here)
Resident Contact Information Form
Name(s):
Mailing Address:
Park Tower Unit:
RESIDENT CONTACT INFORMATION
Home:
Work:
Cell:
Email:
Typically used for Emergencies, News and Notices, would you like to join the Park Tower E-Blast List? YES NO (Circle One)
Emergency Contact Names and Numbers
Relationship:
Phone: Alternate Phone:
Relationship:
Phone: Alternate Phone:
In the event of an emergency, would you require any special assistance? If so please describe:
In order to be better prepared to assist all residents in case of an emergency, please complete and return to the management office. You can also fax it to 773-769-0047 or e-mail it to parktowercondo-mgmt@habitat.com.
Mobility Impaired Building Occupants:
In the event of an emergency, such as anything described in this hand out, if you believe you may need assistance, inform us. On the contact information form, fill out the relevant section.The authorities and authorized personnel only will receive a handbook including a list of occupants who have self-identified they are in need of assistance. In the event there is an evacuation or any major incident, where possible, first responders or volunteers will be assigned to assist these residents. If they are not available, when possible the FSD or DFSD shall divide the list up among those available employees and volunteers who will proceed to the individual floors to help the residents down the stairwells.
An Emergency Happens…What Should You Do?
The following are the safest procedures we can suggest during various possible emergencies. These procedures have been coordinated with the Chicago Police and Fire Departments, other building occupants, the Property Manager and staff. Your adherence with these procedures will assist with a fast and consistent response and maximize safety during emergencies.
ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND – The building is equipped with a one way/two way communication system. Via speakers throughout the hallways, authorized personnel and first responders may make announcements if needed during an emergency. And using phones in the stairwells every 5 floors, they are able to communicate with the lobby to coordinate activities. To the extent possible, personnel will repeat messages regularly. Please follow any instructions given, unless it is physically impossible to do so. If you are unable to do so, contact 911, explain the situation and await instructions.
Active Shooter or Hostile Individual
(Someone carrying a gun, actively shooting or otherwise brandishing or threatening to use a weapon or acting in a violent manner.)
An Active Shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms(s) and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.
Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Typically, the immediate deployment of law enforcement is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims.
Because active shooter situations are often over within 10 to 15 minutes, before law enforcement arrives on the scene, individuals must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with an active shooter situation.
HOW TO RESPOND WHEN AN ACTIVE SHOOTER IS IN YOUR VICINITY
Quickly determine the most reasonable way to protect your own life. The following procedures are guidelines to help you plan in advance, but in the moment of an incident they can be influenced by your location, surroundings and the amount of time you have to make choices. Very often this may be minutes or seconds, so plan ahead.
Evacuate
If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises. Be sure to:
Hide out
If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you. Your hiding place should:
To prevent an active shooter from entering your hiding place:
If the active shooter is nearby:
If evacuation and hiding out are not possible:
Take action against the active shooter AS A LAST RESORT
As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter by:
HOW TO RESPOND WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT ARRIVES
Law enforcement’s purpose is to stop the active shooter as soon as possible. Officers will proceed directly to the area in which the last shots were heard.
How to react when law enforcement arrives:
Information to provide to law enforcement or 911 operator:
The first officers to arrive to the scene will not stop to help injured persons. Expect rescue teams comprised of additional officers and emergency medical personnel to follow the initial officers. These rescue teams will treat and remove any injured persons. They may also call upon able-bodied individuals to assist in removing the wounded from the premises.
Once you have reached a safe location or an assembly point, you will likely be held in that area by law enforcement until the situation is under control, and all witnesses have been identified and questioned. Do not leave until law enforcement authorities have instructed you to do so.
Electrical Outages
Stay inside your apartment unless instructed by the authorities, building management or personnel, and:
During an electrical outage, the safest place is in your apartment where you will neither tie up emergency elevators nor disturb emergency responders. For prolonged or widespread outages beyond the Park Tower, you are advised to have a small, battery operated radio or TV to receive news and updates. Park Tower management and staff may use the phones (if operational) to broadcast messages as needed.
Fire Emergencies
REMEMBER C.A.L.M. Call 911, Alert Management, Listen for instructions, Move quickly. In the event you suspect or detect fire or smoke near your apartment:
Location: Park Tower Condo Association
Street Address: 5415 North Sheridan Rd.
Your Name: _________________
Floor and Apt#: _________________
Smoke or Other Fires
REMEMBER C.A.L.M. Call 911, Alert Management, Listen for instructions, Move quickly. If you smell smoke, stay inside your apartment. You should keep your key nearby at all times, including at night (on your night stand). You will want to take your key with you during emergencies so that you can return to your apartment, if necessary. The building is designed for occupants to stay in their homes on uninvolved floors rather than evacuate. Full building evacuation is oftentimes impractical and unnecessary.
You should also keep the following items nearby that you will find useful:
If you observe heavy smoke in the corridor, return to your apartment, call 911 and report the fire as described previously. Wait in your apartment to receive instructions by phone, in person or via channel 195. If smoke begins to infiltrate through your door, place wet towels at the base of your hallway door and use duct tape to seal cracks around the door.
If you are instructed to evacuate the floor, to the extent possible, crawl on your hands and knees below the smoke and breathe through your nose (not your mouth) to the exit. The wet wash cloth can be used to cover your face and help you breath. TAKE THE STAIRS – NEVER USE THE ELEVATORS.
Basic Kitchen Fire and Burn Safety
Watch What You Heat
Keep Things That Can Catch Fire and Heat Sources Apart
If Your Clothes Catch Fire
If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop and roll. Stop immediately, drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands. Roll over and over or back and forth to put out the fire. Immediately cool the burn with cool water for 3 to 5 minutes and cover with a clean, dry cloth. Don’t apply creams, ointments, sprays or other home remedies.
Use Equipment for Intended Purposes Only
Cook only with equipment designed and intended for cooking, and heat your home only with equipment designed and intended for heating. There is additional danger of fire, injury, or death if equipment is used for a purpose for which it was not intended.
Protect Children from Scalds and Burns
Prevent Scalds and Burns
Install and Use Microwave Ovens Safely
How and When to Fight Cooking Fires
Weather Emergencies
In the event of the potential for severe weather (hail, tornadoes, frequent lightning, blizzards) we recommend that you follow radio or televised instructions. In the event of severe thunderstorms, or high wind events, the safest place to take refuge is in an interior room or corridor away from windows and glass. In especially severe weather events, the safest place in the building would be an interior stairwell. If you leave your unit, do so calmly and orderly. Do not use the elevators, in case of a power outage.
DO NOT go to the lobby. The lobby is surrounded by two stories of glass.
Serious Health Emergencies
Report the illness or injury by dialing 911. Report the following:
Location: Park Tower Condo Association
Street Address: 5415 North Sheridan Rd.
Your Name: _________________
Floor and Apt#: _________________
Call management or the lobby front desk at 773-769-3250 to assure that proper coordination occurs on the ground level. There is very little else the staff can do in the event of a health emergency as they are not trained to recognize or respond to health conditions. There are AED (defibrillators) located at the pool and front desk, and in relevant situations can be used to assist an unresponsive individual. Most the staff is trained in CPR and use of the AEDs if it is a relevant situation. However, it is most important to contact 911 so paramedics can be dispatched as quickly as possible.
Threatening Phone Calls
Dial 911 to report the concern. Provide as many details as possible to the operator. The more information you can provide, the better. Follow Police Department instructions.
Then, call management or the front desk at 773-769-3250 for building coordination purposes if necessary (i.e. crime in progress, civil disturbance, bomb threats)
Steps For Building Occupant Evacuation:
In most emergency situations, the safest place to be should be your unit with the door closed, especially in high risers constructed such as Park Tower. Unless you are in immediate danger or instructed to evacuate, PLEASE BE CALM and remain in your unit. However, in other situations:
1. In the event that you are notified to evacuate the building, or in immediate danger and choose to evacuate, calmly exit your unit and use the stairwell you are either directed to or that is closest to you. If you are given no direction, use the stairwell closest to your unit, as shown on the tower core layout (last page). If obstructed, use the other stairwell. If both are obstructed, the safest place is to remain inside a Unit if possible. It would be prudent to keep the following on a shelf in a front closet so these items can be located quickly and taken with you:
Flashlight with fresh batteries.
Portable FM radio with fresh batteries.
Light colored wash cloth that can be moistened to put over your face if there is dust or smoke in the stairwell or used to signal first responders.
Appropriate clothes for the season.
2. Knock on apartment doors on your floor to notify other residents if you believe they may not have heard the evacuation notification, and may be in immediate danger.
3. When using the stairwells, slower moving residents should keep to the right to allow others to pass on the left. Try not to block the stairwell, although it may be necessary when helping elderly or those with medical conditions.
4. Familiarize yourself with the location of the emergency exits from the first floor lobby. Besides the revolving doors by the front desk, there are automatic swinging doors at the north and south sides of the lobby marked by exit signs. Depending on the situation, be sure to use the path and door which provides you with the fastest and safety route to exit.
Note that you are solely responsible to evacuate the building once you have been notified to do so. Common sense and preparedness are needed if this situation arises. During an evacuation all building personnel on duty will have specific duties, therefore they cannot be responsible for insuring that every tenant exits the building.
Fire or smoke near your apartment:
General Safety Considerations:
Evacuation Building Procedures:
If an evacuation occurs the following steps take place:
Note that you are solely responsible to evacuate the building once you have been notified to do so. During an evacuation all building personnel on duty will have specific duties; therefore they cannot be responsible for insuring that every tenant exits the building. Common sense and preparedness are needed if an emergency situation arises. Should evacuation become necessary, the authority and responsibility rests with the representatives of the city. Neither management nor the Association can assume responsibility for any consequences resulting from the decision to evacuate or not to evacuate.
The primary responsibility for safety of building occupants and compliance with fire codes in the units rests with each tenant. This sheet is supplied as general information to help you in emergency situations. It is not management’s intent to direct the tenant to adopt or use part or all of the given information, nor does management or the Association assume any liability in connection with all or part of the information that may be used or adopted by the tenant.
Pests Infestations/Emergencies
Oftentimes we might not think of the presence of pests as an emergency situation. However, it can be just as critical to respond quickly and thoughtfully when you become aware of unwelcome critters. Some pests, such as bed bugs, can be costly and time consuming to exterminate. And some can even pose serious health complications and or do significant damage to furniture, fixtures and personal belongings. So the sooner you respond, the better chance you have to get rid of them quickly.
Roaches, rats, bed bugs and other such nuisances should be reported to Management immediately. The presence of such pests and infestations are considered a serious health and safety hazard and should be handled by Management as an emergency condition. If the presence of such pests is reported or suspected, the staff will take steps to investigate and exterminate and begin the clean-up process.
If you observe or suspect the presence of pests, please contact the office at 773-769-3250.
Flooding/Leaks
Leaking or flooding incidents are handled by our staff as emergencies. When we become aware of it, our team will investigate and begin clean up as quickly as possible. Depending on the exact nature of the situation, our team may also begin or assist coordinating repairs.
Most importantly, is stopping the water and begin clean up to avoid developing mold or mildew. Water left unmanaged can lead to significant damage to walls, finishes, flooring furniture and just about anything else it comes in contact with. An active presence of water in walls or on flooring, left unaddressed for 48 to 72 hours can lead to molding which can cause health problems.
Please report any potential leaking or flooding to the office or front desk immediately at 773-769-3250, 773-769-3083. Follow staff and management instructions.
