Is your estate safe? Five questions to ask your estate management

The past week has been one of unexpected tragedy and loss. Many are mourning their loved ones while others wait for news from the recovery efforts from the November 1 collapse of a high-rise building under construction on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State. This incident was a painful reminder that safety in our homes is often assumed but not automatic. How can we make our homes and communities safer?

For many individuals and families, choosing an estate to live in is a big decision. 

1. Does the home have the required number of bedrooms and bathrooms? 
2. Is it readily accessible to your place of work? Are the roads good or will your vehicle be damaged after a few months? 
3. Does the area flood during the rainy season, putting your property at risk? 
4. Is power consistent? And if not, what is the backup power plan? 

We are also not strangers to thinking about safety – we want to know when armed robbers last visited the estate and whether the estate’s security access is robust. These are all important criteria for choosing a home in an estate, but these may not be enough when the unexpected happens.

Image credit: guardian.ng

There are Five important ‘Emergency Readiness’ questions you should be able to confidently answer about your current or soon-to-be estate:

1. Does your estate have an Emergency Response Plan? An Emergency Response Plan (ERP) is a written document that records your estate’s emergency preparedness measures and response procedures. The value of an ERP is often in the planning process, not just the final document because documenting an ERP requires an organization to involve key stakeholders, assess risks and capabilities, and implement and test response procedures through drills and exercises. If a fire, medical emergency, or other incident occurs without an Emergency Response Plan in place, your estate may be thrown into chaos.
2. Does your estate have a relationship with emergency services providers that can respond promptly? If you are looking for a number to call when you need an emergency services provider, you are already too late. Emergency services providers offer help in incidents ranging from medical, fire, security, and more. A qualified emergency services provider will not only offer coverage in case of an emergency but will work with your estate to take preventative measures while establishing a strong Emergency Response Plan. Speaking of preventive measures…
3. Do the estate Facility Managers or residents include trained First Aiders/Emergency Responders? Even in the most developed countries, fast emergency response can take as much as 10 minutes. In Nigeria, traffic, bad roads, and a general shortage of emergency service providers mean that response times could be significantly longer. If your estate has individuals with strong First Aid training, their actions in those minutes spent waiting for emergency services could be the difference between life and death.
4. Is there a First Aid kit and possibly an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) on-site? In addition to ensuring your estate has individuals with the right skills to preserve life during an emergency, it is also important to ensure they have the right tools for the job. Each estate should prioritize having a community first aid box in a central location, and if possible an Automated External Defibrillator (an electrical device used to re-establish normal heart rhythms when Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurs).
5. Does your estate run drills and exercises to practice for emergency incidents? Adequate assessment and documentation of an Emergency Response Plan is a great step towards emergency readiness, but a document will not implement itself. If those responsible for activating the plan are not regularly practicing the response procedures, an emergency incident can still throw your estate into chaos. Your emergency services provider should not only help to create the plan but provide an avenue for testing out the response until it becomes second nature for all residents. 

If you answered “No” to one or more of these questions, you are not alone. Many estates are slowly awakening to the need to be Emergency Ready, but as the saying goes, better late than never. Remember, if you have to look for a number to call when you need an emergency services provider, you are already too late. Keep yourself, your family, and your community safe by taking action on these measures, and learn more about how to get Emergency Ready.

About the Author:

Folake Owodunni is the Co-Founder and CEO of Emergency Response Africa, a healthcare technology company that is dedicated to changing the way medical emergencies are managed across Africa. A trained Public Health practitioner and Certified First Responder, she is passionate about educating Africans about emergency readiness, personally and professionally.