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Subscribe to Emergency Notification Systems

March 22, 2018

 

Building members should subscribe directly to emergency notification alert systems to receive the most timely and accurate information. While BOMA/Chicago may also email building members regarding emergency situations, our email communications serve as a secondary source of information; the information is derived from official sources such as the OEMC and the National Weather Service.

After you subscribe, please remember to update your information regularly with updated staff information.
  • Notify Chicago:Notify Chicago isa city service that provides residents with text messages, and/or e-mail alerts on various emergency and non-emergency situations taking place throughout Chicago. Click here to register today to receive up to date information on everything from weather-related emergencies to traffic alerts.
  • CP3 Mass Alert System:Chicago's Public and Private Partnership (CP3) initiative is a result of the City of Chicago's desire to strengthen partnerships with the private sector. All of our building members should register as CP3 partner which supports two-way communications with first responders.Building information, such as floor plans and photos, can be uploaded and accessed by first responders, saving them time and providingthem with critical information as they respond to an emergency. Click here to register.Registration is as simple as completing the registration application. In order to maintain the security of this portal, all users undergo a vetting process.
  • Nixle:Enter your phone and zip code with Nixle to receive text alerts from local agencies about severe weather, criminal activities, severe traffic, missing persons and local events in your area. For free service, sign up as a"resident." Click here to register.
  • National Weather Service (NWS):Get NWS weather alerts via AccuWeather. Click here to register.
BOMA/Chicago forwards email communications in advance of a known event, during an ongoing event, and when monitoring an event through OEMC. Our goal with these communications is to provide building members with information (such as type of event, traffic restrictions and road closures, and links to additional information)that will assist with decision making. However, the ultimate decision regarding building member tenant communications and whether or not to lock down, shelter in place, or evacuate, is the responsibility of building management.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND INITIATIVES
The following resources and initiatives were discussed at the March 2018 Open Preparedness Committee Meeting:
  • OEMC Emergency Public Warning Overview PresentationThis document provides an outline of the OEMC's emergency public warning responsibilities and alert systems, including Notify Chicago, Digital Sign Network,Reverse 911, Outdoor Sirens, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS).
  • OEMC Private Sector Camera InitiativeOEMC has invited BOMA/Chicago buildings to join their efforts to ensure Chicago is safe and prepared by joining their Private Sector Camera Initiative.The initiative links Chicago based organizations, companies and sister agencies' cameras systems into the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) state-of-the-art unified video surveillance network. If you have an exterior camera on the public way, the OEMC would like to work with you to connect with their system. Click here for more information.
  • Chicago's Public and Private Partnership (CP3)Responding to any incident that places our residents at risk requires the highest level of preparedness. Chicago's Public and Private Partnership (CP3) initiative is a result of the City of Chicago's desire to strengthen partnerships with the private sector. All of our building members are encouraged to become a CP3 partner, which is as simple as completing the registration application. In order to maintain the security of this portal, all users undergo a vetting process.
  • Chicago Police Department Crime Prevention and Information Center (CPIC): Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR)If you see something, say something... immediately. Learn more about Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR) - official documentation of observed behavior reasonably indicative of preoperational planning related to terrorism or other criminal activity - and criteria used to develop SARs using reported information.

Below are links to additional local, state and federal resources:

Local
State
Federal

SECURITY BEST PRACTICES LIBRARY

BOMA/Chicago has completed an initial Security Best Practices Library for BOMA/Chicago members. The goal of the project was to develop documents that would transition well into the policy and procedure work already completed. Each document addresses a security or life safety situation commonly faced in commercial office buildings that can be considered when drafting site-specific response plans. Each can be customized depending on the characteristics and circumstances of an individual building.

PREPAREDNESS COMMITEE BLOG POST

Check out our latest blog post highlighting the Preparedness Committee's recent achievements, ongoing work and goals, written by Committee Chair Erin Parks with Sterling Bay.

JOIN BOMA/CHICAGO'S PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE

If you're a property manager with life safety/security responsibilities, security director or a building engineer, and you are interested in joining BOMA/Chicago's Preparedness Committee, please contact Ron Tabaczynski, BOMA/Chicago Director of Government Affairs at rtabaczynski@bomachicago.org or (312) 870-9611, or Erin Parks, BOMA/Chicago Preparedness Committee Chair at eparks@sterlingbay.com.

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