The Official RJWestmore Blog

Include medications in your emergency preparedness kit.

Authorities repeatedly remind the public about the need for disaster preparedness to mitigate the impact of natural and man-made disasters. And here at RJWestmore, Inc., we encourage folks to BE SAFE by taking necessary steps to prepare for emergencies instead of being caught unawares. Arguably among the most important items to take care of on the front end is medicine.

Medicines are unlike other consumer goods because they are sensitive to external forces such as light and temperature. What’s more, medical professionals prescribe them only in small doses and most prescription or over-the-counter medications have limited shelf lives. So proper planning is important.

Thankfully, external stimulants like sunlight and extreme cold or heat may lead only to superficial changes, like discoloration. However, in other cases, failure to properly handle or store drugs may impact efficacy and/or potency. For specific instructions about safely handling and storing your own medication, contact your health professional. We are not doctors. So we provide these hints for handling medication only as a courtesy to encourage you to factor medication in your emergency planning.

Before a Disaster:

• Talk to your physician about your desire to prepare for emergencies. Ask if he or she would be willing to prescribe one extra dose of necessary medications, which you should fill and rotate in your disaster supply kit.
• Include medications for everyone in your family…including pets.
• Take extra care to make sure life-saving medicine is always on hand, such as insulin, heart medicine or asthma inhalers.
• Stock up on OTC medicine like aspirin, pain reliever, laxatives, anti-diarrhea medication and nasal decongestants.
• Don’t forget about topical agents like Calamine lotion, burn cream, hydrogen peroxide, eyewash and antibacterial ointment.
• Stow adhesive bandages, wraps, swabs, cotton balls, scissors, and disposable gloves, sterile dressings to stop bleeding, hand sanitizer or antibiotic towelettes.
• Prescribed medical supplies are as important as medications. Don’t forget important items like glucose monitoring equipment or blood pressure monitors.

Following an Emergency:

After emergencies such as a fire, earthquake or flood, consider the possibility that the effectiveness of your medicine may have been compromised.

The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers information about specific drugs that can potentially be affected by fire, flooding or unsafe water as well as the use of temperature-sensitive products that might react if refrigeration becomes temporarily unavailable.

According to the FDA:

“If lifesaving medication in its container looks normal the medication could still be used until a replacement is available.” Again, please talk to your doctor about the medicines you rely on for health and wellness.

• During floods, medicines might be exposed to unsafe or contaminated water. Contaminated medication can have serious health repercussions.
• Authorities recommended that drug products—even those in their original containers—should be discarded if they have come into contact with flood or contaminated water. This includes medicine capsules, tablets and liquids in containers with screw-top caps, snap lids, or droppers.
• Medications that have been placed in alternative storage containers should also be discarded if they have come in contact with flood or contaminated water.
• For reconstituted medicines or drugs that are mixed with water, the FDA stresses that “The drug should only be reconstituted with purified or bottled water.” Also, in this case, use only water instead of alternative liquids.
• Power outages often immediately follow disasters. Some medicines such as insulin require refrigeration. This is important to consider because unrefrigerated insulin has a shorter shelf life than what is displayed on the label. So remember to check all of your drugs once power is restored. And, when in doubt, throw it out!

When a disaster of any kind strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJWestmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. What’s more, the NEW RJWestmore Property Messaging System is included FREE for all RJWestmore Online Training System users. Visit www.RJWestmore.com for more information.

Apply Murphy's Law to your disaster preparedness plans.

According to Murphy’s Law, “Everything that can go wrong will.” And though many view this kind of pessimism as extreme, when it comes to disaster preparedness, it’s a healthy posture to assume.

Emergency Management lessons from Hurricane Katrina bear this out. In fact, Pat Santos, deputy director of Louisiana’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, recently told emergency managers that (people) should remember that it’s not ‘if’ a disaster strikes but ‘when.’”

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate concurs: “By establishing relationships now and planning for high-impact events, communities and the nation will be better prepared.”

So, as a building owner or property manager, what 10 steps can you take which assume that, as it concerns your building, the worst is bound to happen?

1. A Disaster Will Strike. As a whole, people are more inclined to believe that disasters can hit home since the Y2K scare and 9/11. However, most continue to think that catastrophes happen to “other people.” Resist the urge to defer making emergency preparations. Disasters happen every day to everyday people worldwide.
2. The power will go out if an emergency strikes. If the power fails, your furnace will most likely go out, as well. Your best bet is to invest in good, high-quality cold weather gear, such as coats, gloves and sleeping bags and blankets, for yourself, employees and family members. Fires can result from the use alternative indoor heat sources such as space heaters and propane lamps and require power for operation. So use extreme caution. 
3. Food will be in short supply. There could be a run on supermarkets if a major disaster hits. Stockpiling food for emergencies needn’t be expensive. Store inexpensive, nonperishable items such as rice beans, noodles and peanut butter. Canned food has a long shelf life. Another option is Meals Ready to Eat (MREs). These are ideal since they can be even eaten without cooking. This is important since you should never use a BBQ grill inside. If you must use a grill or campfire to heat meals in emergencies, do so outside.
4. Water sources will be contaminated and bottled water will run low. When East coast residents were preparing for Hurricane Irene, stores sold out on basic necessities including water. Don’t wait for an emergency to buy extra water. Pick up extra gallons each time you visit the grocery store. You could also invest in commercial water barrels and fill them with tap water, as long as you disinfect the barrels with a diluted bleach mixture to purify water. In a pinch, you can survive by drinking the water in the toilet reservoir tank.
5. The Lights will go out. Stock up on candles and battery-operated or crank-operated flashlights.
6. Communications will be knocked out. Purchase transistor radios and plenty of spare batteries. Hand-crank radios are available. Certain brands of FRS radios also have AM/FM capability. These can be used in addition to a larger, battery powered “boom box” type radio.

7. Medical Care will be in high demand. During emergencies, hospitals are overrun and medical professionals are in short supply. Invest in First Aid training as well as a basic kit so you will be prepared to administer basic medical assistance to those in need.
8. Transportation will be congested, maybe even at a standstill. If a major emergency strikes and the power goes out, traffic could get ugly. Subway systems, buses and trains might also be affected. Your best course of action in this case is to pack a “go” bag in the back of your car that includes a good pair of walking shoes.
9. You may have to flee from dangerous situations. So fitness is important. Regular exercise and good nutrition are important for quality of life as well as in cases of emergencies.
10. You will run out of toilet paper. It might be easy to forget the little things that make life tolerable. But running out of TP can be a drag. So stock up now before disaster strikes.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information.

We are pleased to announce our new Fan Page on Facebook! The RJWestmore Training System Fan Page is intended as a meeting place for emergency management professionals to “virtually gather” to share information. Our goal is to facilitate engaging discussions about disaster preparedness, fire life safety and building management among Facebook users around the world.

We remain committed to continually advance our social media presence as a service to the community—to help business leaders, property owners and managers, first-responders, healthcare professionals and everyday folks prepare for and recover from disasters of all kinds. Serving commercial real estate companies for more than 20 years, we at RJWestmore Inc. offer a state-of-the-art Training System, which was recently upgraded to Version 2.5, to building managers and property owners throughout the country.

Our fully-integrated system allows property management companies to administer one site or an entire portfolio, with all users in the same system. Property Managers can train occupants, floor wardens, and fire safety directors, with all user-training and testing recorded. Subscribers also enjoy quick-access to building-specific Emergency Responder information and other resources. What’s more, the RJW Training System Our system automatically routes certifications and sends compliance reports to every tenant-subscriber.

Our fully-automated system features personalized certificates, which are instantly sent to users via email upon course completion. And annual reminders for each training-module are also automatically sent to each user along with quarterly employee-compliance reports, which are sent to every tenant.

An added benefit, the RJW Training System sends out automatic notifications to local fire departments. And higher-level users can automatically create real time Special Assistance and Floor Warden lists and get automatic notification of updates to Special Assistance, Floor Warden and Fire Safety Director lists. Automatic updates and maintenance make the system even easier to use.

Fans of our Facebook page will receive updates about our training system, further enhancing our innovative service. We also want to encourage clients to talk to each other, to share tips about best practices for emergency and disaster preparedness and recovery.

Highlights of our new Fan Page:

• Use it as a social media gateway to our corporate blog, RJ the Firedog blog, Twitter feed, and YouTube content.
• Take advantage of information available through daily posts which will detail the latest news and best practices in emergency management—covering a myriad of topics such as earthquake preparedness, indoor air quality, government agency news, fire safety, evacuation procedures, disease prevention and CDC warnings, cyber threats and many other related topics.
• Learn about industry events such as conferences for emergency management and first- responder professionals as well as security training summits.
• View engaging photos and videos relative to emergency management communications and training.

Like our Fan Page today to become a part of the best emergency preparedness group on the web. As our fan base grows, we hope the page will emerge as a central hub for networking and information-sharing for dedicated emergency management and building management professionals, property owners, building managers and safety personnel across the country.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

As a building owner or property manager, are you prepared for holiday-related disasters?

As a building owner or manager, the holidays are a time to spruce up your building with decorations and host fun events. Of course, you will want your tenants to enjoy themselves at holiday get-togethers. However, you will also be wise to keep an eye on safety. Since we are committed to helping property managers and owners BE SAFE, we would like to devote this blog post to offering several key tips to help you manage holiday mail and deliveries, food, parties and decorations!

Mail and Deliveries:

• As the volume of parcels increases, it becomes more likely the mailroom staff might miss suspicious packages. Do a refresher course with these individuals regarding how to spot mail that looks out of place. For tips about what to tell employees, check out the resources available through the Department of Homeland Security.
• With more deliveries in and out of your building, your security staff could become lax in the enforcement of proper protocols. If all deliveries need to be screened at a central location, don’t make exceptions for people who are “just” bringing flowers or honey-baked hams. Terrorism or the actions of disgruntled individuals are always possible. So every situation demands vigilance.

Holiday Food:

• Practice good hygiene when handling any group lunches. Don’t allow employees to eat food such as lunch meats and cheese that has been sitting out for hours. Observe the two-hour rule and move food quickly to a refrigerator or throw it away. A tenant’s business could become crippled if half of the employees get food poisoning.
• If tenants are preparing food on site, be sure they follow safe food-handling rules such as avoiding cutting board cross-contamination and making sure they frequently wash their hands.
• Carefully inspect food-based deliveries such as chocolate-covered fruit or cakes. Be sure that packages arrive from reputable vendors and provide identification and that delivery personnel arrived in clearly marked vehicles.

Holiday Parties:

• If you are serving alcohol at your holiday party, be sure the amounts are strictly limited in order to prevent individuals from acting inappropriately or attempting to drive. Provide shuttle buses or cab drivers to ensure everyone arrives home safely and you and your tenants avoid potential legal problems.
• Be sure your party venue is coded to accommodate attendees and has clearly identified emergency exits. (This should be true not just for parties but at all times.)
• Consider giving safety-oriented gifts such as arm rests for heavy computer users or a quality flashlight for employees.

Decorations:

• Advise tenants who want to hang strings of lights to use a power strip and to keep warm lights away from paper sources. Extension cords must be completely taped to the ground to avoid tripping-related incidents. Forbid the use of candles or lanterns at all times.
• Turn off decorations at night.
• Decorations such as mistletoe and holly berries can be poisonous to pets or children. Encourage the use of man-made decorations in these cases, instead.
• Instruct tenants not to place large decorations in stairwells or on emergency exit signs. They should also make sure they leave sprinklers and smoke alarms uncovered, so as not to interfere with operation.
• Live Christmas trees need water so they don’t become dried out and pose fire hazards.

All of our safety tips are intended to increase holiday cheer! It’s important to embrace the holidays and let your tenants, visitors and employees have fun—as long every individual as well as your property remain intact.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives. For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

There are lots of ways to handle Chicken Pox.

Some adults are organizing Chicken Pox parties in an effort to expose children to the disease. The underlying theory is that children will likely contract the disease at some point, anyway, and complications are usually less intense if the infection occurs when people are young. Let’s review the merits of this approach:

• Parents offer to send others in a Facebook group a lollipop that was licked by a child with Chicken Pox. This behavior is not only disgusting, but it’s also illegal.
• Doctors caution that gathering children together is likely to expose them to secondary infectious risks including encephalitis and strep. Such parties are not based upon any real science and are not controlled or supervised by medical staff.
• Children are at risk from secondary bacterial infections which lead to lesions caused by the condition. This can be especially troublesome for younger children who tend to touch dirty surfaces without washing and who are prone to picking at lesions.
• Chicken Pox is an airborne virus, so licking a lollipop is not even a likely transmitter, but it can spread hepatitis and other diseases.

Not surprisingly, officials from the CDC and other agencies strongly condemn people that organize such parties in lieu of giving their children the required vaccinations.

• The vaccine and getting the actual disease both provide the body with antibodies; however the vaccine is a much more controlled and safer manner.
• Unvaccinated children that get the virus will typically suffer from many more sores and more severe symptoms from the virus than those that get Chicken Pox after vaccination.
• The Chicken Pox vaccine is exceedingly safe, with common side effects including rash, slight fever, and soreness at the injection site. More serious side effects are extraordinarily rare.
• Vaccinations for Chicken Pox and other diseases serve as group protection for people who cannot be immunized due to depressed immune systems.

Another risk of such parties is to accidentally expose adults who have never had it as a child. Such infections are often fatal and require treatments with antiviral drugs in order to slow the spread of the virus. Adults are often at risk for developing shingles. This disease is the result of dormant Chicken Pox which never completely leaves a host body. Shingles produces a severe rash that can persist for weeks or months, and can even affect the eyes and other vital body areas.

What do agencies such as the CDC say about Chicken Pox?

• Parents should closely follow the vaccine schedule for Chicken Pox. The safety of vaccines has been backed by countless studies, with links to autism and other problems which have been largely discredited.
• The CDC recommends the shingles vaccine Zostavax^® for individuals ages 60 and older. These individuals should get the vaccine whether or not they had Chicken Pox as a child.

The growing numbers of parents who are not vaccinating their children against Chicken Pox and other diseases is posing an increasing risk to public safety. Through proper education and examination of the associated science, parents should carefully consider the repercussions of failing to vaccinate their children and/or willfully exposing their children to diseases.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.5 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

Security experts such as Graham Alison, who is the funding dean of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and an expert on nuclear proliferation, point to the comparative ease of acquiring bioterrorism materials as opposed to the technology required to actually make a nuclear device. This ease of accumulation makes it considerably more likely that nations will respond to bioterror-detonations or spread before a nuclear attack. And bioterror attacks have already occurred in this country, and continue to happen, with a recent Washington D.C. anthrax attack making the news.

A key tactic for preventing the widespread spread of bacterial weaponized agents is the production of vaccines. However, creating a new vaccine faces many hurdles. There are some successes and shortcomings for efforts to build and stockpile vaccines:

• Enough smallpox vaccine exists to inoculate every U.S. citizen.
  There is enough anthrax vaccine to cover three major metropolitan areas.
• The organization of Health and Human Services points to a severe lack of urgency with the United States Government’s efforts to stockpile vaccines and prepare for potential calamities.
• According to the New York Times, the cost for the pharmaceutical industry to produce a new vaccine averages about $1 billion. Vaccines are not typically money-makers for these companies, which often focus on drugs that require habitual usage—such as cholesterol treatment medications.

Another key component of managing the risk of bioterror is to protect buildings and personnel:

• HVAC systems pose a severe risk to their very function. They circulate and recycle air throughout buildings, making them the perfect vehicle for contamination.
• Companies can improve HVAC filtration, protect outdoor air intakes, and secure building blueprints that would show HVAC details.
• Buildings with tenants whose companies utilize industrial chemicals should ensure physical access to these chemicals is severely restricted.
• Restricting access of unannounced visitors and couriers is vital to providing some separation between the public and tenants.
• Establish a “safe haven” where employees can congregate after an attack is eminent.

How to prepare for the threat of bioterrorism

During the anthrax attacks of 2001, many postal and mailroom staff members were not able to recognize the risks of suspicious packages, even after opening the contents and discovering powders.

Handling suspicious packages requires several key steps:

• Identify unopened packages that might deserve extra scrutiny. Look for signs such as handwritten or badly written address information, excessive postage, markings such as “Confidential,” mismatched postmark/return address, or misspellings.
• A powdery substance, oily stains, or excessive packaging can be signs of potential bioterror substances in the package.
• Don’t open questionable packages! This advice seems rudimentary. But you should instruct tenants and mailroom staff that no package is worth injury.
• Handle the package gently, without shaking the contents.
• Do not smell the package.
• Keep the unopened package in a secure area that has adequate ventilation.
• If you come in contact with a suspicious package or substance, immediately wash your hands and possibly discard clothing if possible.
• Avoid touching your face when you are handling the package.
• After calling law enforcement, record as many details as possible about the package. Did you notice a new delivery driver, or an unusual shipping carrier? Any details can give law enforcement time to develop evidence.

In the event your building or staff members are involved in an attack, you should take certain steps to limit damage. Designated employees should call the local FBI office to report the incident and coordinate investigation efforts. Affected individuals should be quickly quarantined while they wait for medical personnel. It is important to provide first responders with as many details as possible so they can arrange HAZMAT or other protections.

The threat for bioterrorism is real. Through proper planning, and open communication with agencies such as the CDC and FBI, you can do your part to identify and prevent attacks from occurring.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.0 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

Are you prepared for an occupy movement?

The recent Occupy Wall Street protests brought more than 100,000 protestors to New York City on October 15^th and now have reached 70 major cities. While the movement does not have official leadership, its main goals are to bring awareness to income inequality in the country, especially in regards to the “1%” of individuals who earn and hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, up to 40 percent in some studies. The popularity of the protests has even made them a NYC tourist attraction.

While many of the protesters are undoubtedly pacifists, there is the potential for violence, as recent clashes with law enforcement have demonstrated. The risks are inherent to property whenever large groups of people gather to vociferously demand something that is difficult to tangibly achieve. As time goes on, entrenched protestors might turn to mischief simply out of boredom or frustration. Building owners who encounter these types of protests should prepare to take steps to make sure their property remains protected at all times.

The first priority of property ownership is to ensure the safety of tenants, residents and/or employees. The second objective is to protect the integrity of the building. Here are some ideas for steps you could take as a property owner or manager to ensure both:

• Post signage on your property stating that trespassing and/or camping is not permitted. Numerous signs will help you delineate your property. This type of signage could also help deter people from using your space in other objectionable ways.
• Coordinate with local law enforcement. They should have a plan for where protestors would be allowed to congregate and which areas would be considered off limits.
• Use barriers to deny access to important areas. If you have a sensitive part of your business that will be closed to short-term protests, then consider closing it down or blocking if entirely to avoid any issues.
• Use window film to block the view into lower-level offices. You wouldn’t want tenants to feel harassed or nervous about the potential for violence if a group gathers outside.
• Install video cameras with signs that clearly state the fact that your area is under constant surveillance. While video won’t likely stop organized protests, it can deter violent or vandalistic acts.
• During the actual protests, consider hiring uniformed security officers to guard the perimeter of your building to discourage criminal behavior.

Hopefully, any protests in your area will remain peaceful expressions of free speech and will not turn to violence or unrest. By taking some proactive measures, you can better protect your building and tenants from potential harm

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJ Westmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.0 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

October is Fire Safety Month

October 9-15 is the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) official “Fire Prevention Week,” which is an annual event that promotes fire safety for families and businesses.

Fire Prevention Week was created to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. During the 40^th anniversary of that tragic event, the Fire Marshals Association of North America began the first National Fire Prevention Day. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the first official National Fire Prevention Week and called up a massive change in fire prevention planning.

According to the NFPA, a home structure fire was reported every 87 seconds in 2009, and nearly seven people died each day in those blazes. The economic toll from residential and business fire is vast, with $7.6 billion in losses recorded in 2009. However, through educational efforts such as National Fire Prevention Week, the occurrence of fires has dropped drastically over the years, from more than 700,000 house fires in 1977 to 370,000 in 2010.

Every year the NFPA selects a theme for National Fire Prevention Week. The theme for 2011 is “Protect your family from fire,” and focuses on coordinated efforts for family members and teachers. Here are a few of the themes from past years:

• The Nation’s Greatest Menace! Do Your Part to Stop This Waste!” (1929)
• “Learn Not To Burn – Wherever You Are” (1982)
•  “Use Candles with Care” (2005)

Fire Prevention Week activities at schools and other organizations focus on preparedness in several key areas:

• Establishment and practicing sensible escape routes with designated alternates
• Inspection and care of home smoke detectors
• Information about home sprinkler systems and their ability to stop fires within minutes
• Dangers associated with fires from heating appliances, fireplaces, and stoves
• Special emphasis on smokers and the acute risk of fire from un-extinguished cigarettes
• Candle care and safety

For businesses, fire safety should be a 52-week focus, not just one that is observed during Fire Prevention Week. Business and facility management can take many steps to reduce the risk of fire:

• Create a sound fire plan that includes evacuation routes, designated fire wardens and procedures to account for every employee and visitor during a fire emergency.
• Install and inspect to make sure the right classes of fire extinguishers are located in code-required locations.
• Implement clear rules on the use of space heaters and other portable devices that can pose safety hazards.
• Encourage employees to report dangerous situations. Give them the opportunity to reach your building manager confidentiality if they need to report a sensitive issue.

Fire Safety Week is an ideal chance for individuals and businesses to reflect on what they can do to keep people and property protected from fire. Practicing common sense and building a knowledge base about fire are the best ways for people to avoid tragedy.

Covering more than 300 million square feet of commercial property, the RJWestmore Fire Life Safety Training System ensures compliance with related fire codes. It is an interactive e-learning system that provides tenants, building owners, and facility managers with instant feedback. Convenient and affordable for businesses of any size, the RJWestmore Fire Life Safety Training System can reduce training workloads by 90 percent while saving more than 50 percent when compared to conventional training methods. Proper training and code compliance can greatly reduce your liability in the event of a disaster.

When a disaster strikes, prior planning and clear decisive action can help save lives.  For the latest emergency management training for facility/building managers, contact RJWestmore, Inc. Our new Version 2.0 e-based training system offers the best emergency training system with automated and integrated features. Visit RJWestmore.com for more information and remember to BE SAFE.

2011 Has Been a Banner Year for Natural Disasters in the U.S.

RJWestmore Shares 5 Tips for Dealing with Weather-Related Disasters

President Barack Obama recently named New Jersey a federal disaster area as a result of floods that came before Hurricane Irene. In so doing, he cemented 2011 as the United States’ most disaster-prone year ever.

As of the third week of September, Obama had issued 84 federal disaster declarations at the request of governors. That is more declarations than in any year since the score was first kept 60 years ago. And there are still three months left in 2011! Since many of the recent emergencies resulted from extreme weather, we want to use this week’s blog post to discuss the ways that you can prepare for weather-related disasters.

While weather has always been a contributing factor to damage to hearth, office and home, natural disaster-related damage affects more people than it used to because of urban sprawl. When tornados strike open, undeveloped areas, dollar amount damage is relatively low. Centered in a densely populated area, the same storm will wreak considerably more havoc.

So how should urban residents and professionals who work in major metropolitan locations prepare for natural disasters? Here are some tips, prepared for you by the fire life safety training professionals at RJWestmore, Inc:

1. Take cover. This is important regardless of temperature. If you’re outside in the heat, make sure you have a hat, sunglasses and lip balm as well as sunscreen in case you get caught in any situation that leaves you stranded for an extended period of time.

Likewise, in snow, rain or hail, you should make sure you have plenty of protection against the elements. Invest in protective, waterproof outerwear and make sure your emergency supply kit includes plenty of blankets and waterproof matches.

Also, one of the best ways to protect from loss is to purchase insurance to cover repairs to infrastructure. We are not experts in insurance. But it is likely that a standard policy will not cover flood damage. The only way to protect against flood losses is to purchase flood insurance directly from the National Flood Insurance Program. Policies must be in place for 30 days before coverage takes effect. For information, contact your insurance professional.

2. Drink Up. One of the risks of any type of disaster is dehydration. Consider miners who are stranded for hours underground or motorists whose cars get stuck on snowy roadways in blizzard conditions. Dehydration is not relegated to desert environments.  A good rule of thumb is to make sure you include plenty of water in each of your emergency preparedness kits. You should have one in your car, one at work and a third at home, all in easily-accessible locations.
3. Tune In. Another suggestion for your disaster preparedness kit is to include a portable, hand-crank radio to make sure you can stay connected even in power outage. Storms of any kind can knock out phone lines, electricity, gas, water and even wireless cell phones. So don’t make the mistake of relying on high-tech forms of communication to stay abreast of news in emergencies. Tuning in will alert you to the threat level relative to the storm, be it Winter Storm Watch, Winter Storm Warning or Winter Weather Advisory.
4. Stay Put. In many cases, you will be safer if you shelter in place than if you venture out in hazardous conditions. Of course, you must use common sense when deciding whether you should stay or go. For example, in the event of a tornado, seek shelter in a steel-framed or concrete building. However, in case of a flood, you might be putting yourself in danger by staying in an area that will likely be consumed by fast-flowing water. For detailed instructions about what to do in every possible weather scenario, visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Weather Service website. All RJWestmore Safety Trainees have immediate access to NOAA information from inside our fully-integrated training system.
5. Remain Calm. Whatever the disaster, you will make better choices if you avoid the temptation to panic. How can you remain cool, calm and collected when surrounded by turmoil? One surefire way is to prepare well in advance of emergency.

If you own or manage a building, or know someone who does, do them a favor. Let them know about the RJWestmore Training System. Choosing our service cuts property management training related workloads by 90% and saves users over 50% compared to conventional training! More importantly, IT SAVES LIVES! BE SAFE.

The RJWestmore Training System has been upgraded to Version 2.5

RJWestmore Inc. is proud to announce the release of Version 2.5 of our comprehensive e-based safety training program. The new system boasts features that property managers and building owners, employers and occupants have come to depend on for building specific safety training, such as the integration and automation that brings together facility managers, fire safety directors and local fire departments.

The system upgrade showcases our continued commitment to offer the most user-friendly and complete training system on the market. Here is a snapshot of some of the new functionality that RJWestmore trainees will enjoy with Version 2.5:

• A New User Interface
• New Special Assistance for Evacuation Interface
• New NOAA Weather Interface
• New Facebook Interface
• New Twitter Interface
• New pop-up notifications

What’s more, new and current RJWestmore trainees will continue to benefit from program features that have made us the e-based safety training program of choice among property managers and building owners from coast to coast: We are approved by every major fire department and are now training more than 350 million square feet across the United States

Our system offers real-time reporting with just one click which—

• Identifies tenants that need special assistance in the case of emergency
• Provides instant access to a list of floor wardens that is shared with building management and the fire department
• Enhanced Fire Department Access—
  • One home screen allows department access to all RJWestmore System companies in the city
  • Departments can monitor individual building testing and training of floor wardens and fire safety directors.
  • Building-specific emergency manuals, diagrams and maps provide pre-response building information.
  • Automated Features—
  • Automatic personalized certificates are sent to each user via email immediately upon completion
  • Employee compliance reports are prepared for each tenant. View, print or export to Excel.
  • Annual reminders are sent to each user on their training anniversary date.
  • State of the Art Confidentiality and System Control
  • Multiple tiers of system access help control the distribution of information
  • Confidential Information Access is granted for resources such as maps, emergency plans and reports.

The RJ Westmore Training System, Version 2.5 gives building owners a complete picture of their emergency preparedness as well as user-friendly interfaces. We map out an exterior refuge map with a satellite picture of each building. We can also include a map of the lobby showing the best exit routes, fire control room location, hose connections, etc.  Elevator banks and stairwells can also be graphed, to show a comprehensive picture of accessibility and egress.

More info about the RJWestmore Training System Version 2.5:

• 30-day implementation with a simple monthly flats-rate fixed fee
• All updates, training, and other resources are provided for no additional fee
• Property managers can easily print and export building training information via their Management section.
• Training and procedures are available for any kind of disaster, be it manmade or natural

If you own or manage a building, or know someone who does, do them a favor. Let them know about the RJWestmore Training System. Choosing our service cuts property management training related workloads by 90% and saves users over 50% compared to conventional training! More importantly, IT SAVES LIVES! BE SAFE.