Emergency Response Planning for Shopping Centers, CIDs, Entertainment Districts and Other Large Locations

Written by: James Hart

It takes hard work and careful thought to create an effective emergency response plan for office towers and other commercial properties. 

But what if — instead of a single commercial building — you need to create a plan for a community improvement district, a shopping or entertainment district, or some other large, multi-building property with an extensive outdoor component? 

“In those situations, you’re dealing with a much greater level of complexity,” said Nicole Harris, a senior director for safety and security with Chesley Brown, the security consulting and management firm. 

With an office tower, everything is relatively contained. You know where all the entrances and exits are. Thanks to security checkpoints, you have a good idea of how many people are on the property — you might even know who they all are.

None of those advantages are guaranteed with a shopping district or similar property. 

“The office tower is definitely, in my opinion, less complex,” said Harris, who oversees security for a large portfolio in the Atlanta area. 

By employing a few best practices, though, it’s possible to build a robust emergency response plan that helps protect tenants, guests and other users while allowing a district-type property to get up and running quickly after an incident. 

Customize the plan to the district’s unique needs — especially when it comes to the outdoors

Most emergency response plans start with a basic model that’s tailored to the property’s unique needs. 

“You must conduct a risk assessment for the exact location,” Harris said. “And that’s where you go into more depth and personalize the emergency plan for the property.”

Case in point: A shopping center or entertainment district’s emergency plan will probably need more detail about responding to severe weather and natural disasters if the property has a lot of outdoor events and activity. 

“Whereas in a building, you’re covered — it’s easier to shelter in place,” Harris said. “But when you’re outdoors, you have to create places to shelter.” 

It’s not enough to designate shelters, though. You’ll also need a way to direct guests and tenants to them. That’s another way that planning is easier with a single building — evacuation routes, fire extinguishers and other safety features can be clearly marked. 

In an outdoor environment, you will probably need a security officer or someone else to point the way. 

“People have to be directed to those locations,” Harris said. “So it’s going to take on more of a security aspect, with the security team, with law enforcement, property management or other people who can properly identify themselves and point you in the direction of safety.”

Ideally, the risk assessment and the response plan should both be updated annually.

And just because the district or shopping center has an emergency plan, that doesn’t mean that individual tenants shouldn’t have their own plans. In fact, it’s a good idea for each one to think through how they will respond, outside of the district’s overall response. 

Communicate and collaborate with stakeholders

Another big difference between districts and more contained commercial properties is that districts often have a larger group of stakeholders who should be part of your emergency planning. Obviously, that includes your security team, but you should also talk with tenants, law enforcement, any neighborhood or merchant associations, and others.

Communication is the key to building a solid emergency plan when there are so many stakeholders, Harris said. You have to know “who” and “how.”

“Security personnel would raise the question, well, who needs to know this is happening, and how will you communicate that to them?” she said. 

As part of that, you may need to set up communication platforms, like in-person meetings or an email list, to reach your stakeholders.

It’s a good idea to develop multiple platforms, Harris said. You might create one email list to reach everyone, but another targeted only to tenants and another for emergency responders. Not everybody needs to know everything that’s happening at any given time. 

“You definitely want to find out who the stakeholders are and figure out how to communicate effectively,” she said. “And once you learn how to communicate with people, you can find out what’s important to them.”

This outreach is invaluable because it uncovers needs that might otherwise go unplanned for — which, in a worst-case scenario, could make an emergency more dire. For example, does your property have a plan for assisting disabled individuals if they need to evacuate the area quickly? 

Coordinate closely with police, emergency personnel

To reiterate: Building a good working relationship with law enforcement and other emergency responders is especially important. 

Sometimes, Harris said, people assume that because a shopping center or entertainment district is private property with its own dedicated security, it can handle problems on its own. But there are times when a situation really does require a police response. Building a relationship ahead of time makes it much easier to coordinate during an emergency. 

For example, if there’s an incident happening near one of her properties, Harris usually receives a heads-up call from the local police. That way, she can alert her team on the ground, so they can be ready if trouble finds its way onto the property they serve. 

“That’s where the partnership comes in,” Harris said. “They don’t have to share these things with us.”

Similarly, if there were ever an incident on the property, Harris could help emergency responders by supplying them with live feeds from the property’s security cameras, so they know what they might be walking into. 

Never assume that common sense is common

“You can assemble a comprehensive emergency plan that addresses all of the threats facing a property, with detailed instructions for responding to them, but you shouldn’t forget to account for human nature,” Harris said. 

Namely, people don’t always act how you expect they will. They aren’t always logical. 

Case in point: An emergency plan might call for “DO NOT CROSS” security tape to be placed around a hazard on the property. That way, tenants and visitors know they should stay away, right? 

“You know, when you see caution tape, you think people would stay away from it,” Harris said. “Or if you see fire, you would logically move away from it. No, they’re coming to it.” 

A good security team should be ready to spot and respond when these surprises happen. 

“You have to hire a team that is well-trained on these things,” Harris said. ”A lot of people hiring for these roles look at security, and they think, ‘Oh, I just need somebody that looks like security.’ But security is not a look, it’s a thought process. You have to have people who think about what could happen.” 

Regular training is one way to nurture that “anything could happen” mindset.

“Property managers might have annual training and drills,” Harris said. “As a security team, we have monthly training. Some of it’s situational — if it’s hurricane season, then we focus on hazardous weather training. That training can help prepare you for the unexpected.”

Emergency drills look a little different for districts

Most commercial properties hold preparedness drills at least once a year so tenants know how to evacuate the building and respond to other emergencies. It’s possible to hold similar drills for a district, Harris said, but organizers will have to account for a few wrinkles. 

For example, you may need someone to handle traffic control. And you’ll need someone to coordinate with police and 911 in advance. Because, inevitably, a bystander will see the drill, think it’s real and call 911 to report it. 

The bottom line on emergency response planning for CIDs, entertainment districts and shopping centers

It can be more challenging to plan an emergency response for district-level commercial properties, but it’s not impossible. A few key best practices include:

• Start by conducting a risk assessment of the property, so the plan accounts for any special issues, especially regarding outdoor activity and events. 
• Make sure that you have clear lines of communication with law enforcement, tenants, community associations and other stakeholders. That way, they can point out potential problems they see, and you can alert them to useful information. 
• While a comprehensive plan is essential, you’ll also need a well-trained security team that can enact it and, when necessary, improvise to respond to problems not covered by the plan itself. 

Need assistance building comprehensive security plans for shopping centers, entertainment districts, CIDs and similar properties? Chesley Brown has helped clients in the largest US markets achieve optimal results, and they’re ready to share their expertise with you. Get the confidence that comes from working with the best in the industry — contact our team today.