Office of the Fire Marshal Emergency Building Measures A Guide to Strengthen Emergency Management of High-Rise and High-Risk Buildings

3. Building Vulnerability Assessment

Although emergencies could happen anywhere and at anytime, certain types of emergencies are more likely to occur at some properties than at others. There are five factors that affect the vulnerability of a building to certain types of emergencies. These factors are:

• geographic location
• immediate environment
• property type
• tenant mix or resident profile
• size and construction

In developing an Emergency Plan these factors should be assessed to make sure the risks specific to your building are adequately addressed.

Geographic Location

Certain geographic portions of the country are more prone to certain types of emergencies, particularly those relating to natural disasters. Fortunately for Ontarians, earthquakes and hurricanes occur less frequently here than in other geographic locations. However, severe winter storms and tornadoes that can result in heavy flooding do occur on a regular basis. As such, the property manager must evaluate the likelihood of these types of events occurring where his/her building is located and plan accordingly for those types of emergencies.

Immediate Environment

The neighbourhood or community where your property is situated will influence the type of emergencies it may face. Buildings located in major urban areas face unique risks that are less likely to be found in rural areas. For example, riots and public demonstrations are more likely to occur in urban areas and may result in property damage and personal assaults.

Likewise, buildings located close to major transportation routes or industrial properties, such as nuclear power plants or hazardous petroleum/chemical plants, are vulnerable if a major accident were to occur there. Your Emergency Plan should address potential emergencies that may occur as a result of an accidental leak or spill.

An important part of a property manager’s responsibility in developing an Emergency Plan is to be aware of the different types of potential threats that may exist. A good place to start in assessing threats is to obtain a copy of the community emergency plan.

External resources may be particularly helpful in identifying threats from sources outside of the building. Owners/managers may need to speak to police and fire officials as well as neighbouring building owners/managers to gain an appreciation of their exposure to these risks.

Property Type

The purpose for which the building is used, has a direct bearing on the type of risks inherent to it. Residential towers, office towers, industrial plants, hospitals, theatres, and shopping malls all require their own unique Emergency Plans to address their particular situations and needs.

All offer different challenges based on factors specific to their occupancy. The number of hours per day it is occupied, occupant load, building height security levels, building contents, presence of hazardous products, and nature of activities are all examples of varying factors that must be taken into consideration when developing the Emergency Plan.

Tenant Mix or Resident Profile

Buildings that are occupied by politically sensitive organizations such as government offices, military establishments, religious organizations, embassies, cultural centres or abortion clinics have an increased likelihood of being the targets of extremist groups. As such, the Emergency Plan may need to specifically address threats, hostage situations or other criminal related emergencies.

It’s important to realize that not all residential buildings are alike, nor are all commercial, industrial or institutional properties alike. As a building manager, ask yourself these questions:

• does your residential building contain apartments that are occupied by typical families or by people with special needs such as senior citizens or those with disabilities?
• is your industrial building used to store automobile parts or is it a flammable liquids processing facility?
• does your commercial plaza also house industrial tenants or simply business and mercantile establishments?

Your Emergency Plan should take into account the various tenant profiles within the property to address their specific needs and risks.

Size and Construction

The size of the building with respect to height and area often determines the complexity of the Emergency Plan. Obviously, a 70 storey office tower will require a more complex Emergency Plan than a single storey commercial plaza.

Whether the building has a sprinkler system or not will influence the Emergency Plan, for example, by making it more or less viable to remain in the building in the event of a fire. The building’s construction may also be critical in determining how well it will withstand a natural or human-activity related disaster.

Vulnerability Checklist

The following examples of occupancies may be particularly vulnerable. If your building or an adjacent building contains one or more of these occupancies, and depending on the level of in-house expertise, you may wish to hire a consultant specializing in vulnerability analysis and risk assessment to conduct a detailed evaluation of your building.

• military establishment,
• foreign embassy, consulate or high commission,
• sensitive religious building
• nuclear agency office or facility
• petro/chemical office or refinery
• military contractor
• police facility
• storage or manufacturing facility for explosive, flammable, or toxic materials
• public parking located underneath or beside the building
• financial institution or bank
• pharmaceutical firm
• hospital or medical clinic
• radical political groups
• symbolic or historical building
• news media
• chemical/biological laboratory
• toxic waste facility
• power generation or distribution centre
• waterworks
• jail
• government (federal, provincial, or municipal)
• transportation (airport, bus terminal, rail station)

For more information see the Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry, Federal Emergency Management Agency - http://www.fema.gov/business/guide/index.shtm