By Casey Murphy, CID, HF Planners, LLC
In today's current climate, an emergency can come in many forms: fire, extreme weather, active shooter, and, as we now know, viral outbreaks. Preparation is key to mitigating the potential risks and damage caused by an emergency. FEMA's approach to dealing with an emergency, no matter the type, is prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. The breadth of responsibilities resting on a facility's safety becomes paramount when preparing for the unexpected. While we should all hope never to face the terrors of an emergency, a facility ready for anything will allow work to continue in some capacity and, more importantly, protect its employees.
Clear wayfinding is a simple but critical aspect of protecting life safety measures in an emergency. This means correctly placed exit signage, emergency lighting along egress routes, and unencumbered paths of travel that never lead to "dead-end corridors." This system of preparedness is essential for fire/smoke emergencies. When creating a new space or interior fit-out, a poorly placed sign or extremely long corridor can create a potentially deadly scenario if occupants cannot clearly find their way to the nearest exit. Evacuation floor plans should be posted at strategic locations throughout the facility, such as stairwells and large assembly spaces, to direct personnel out of the building.
A facility's infrastructure should also include sophisticated emergency response systems to maximize safety and reduce response times. The workplace's fire emergency response system will ideally have sprinklers, alarms, and fire strobes, all tied back to a central station so that the local fire station is called immediately upon detection. If the building "knows" there is a fire before the facility manager, it will only decrease response times, which is always the goal.
In the case of active shooter drills, surveillance systems and a mass notification system (MNS) can be incorporated into the building's security measures. Start at entryways to control access to the workplace. This ensures everyone entering the building has a valid need to be there and tracks the "who" and "when." Surveillance can come in the form of badge tracking and video cameras. Cameras will allow police and building management to work together to understand the situation entirely. MNS enable communication with large groups in the shape of loudspeakers, cellular text messaging, electronic displays, and wireless duress buttons. These response systems are often color-coded in blue instead of the well-known red associated with fire safety devices.
For many facilities, a critical emergency preparedness measure is ensuring that access to your Information Technology (IT) is physically protected. Beyond software or malware protection programs, a facility manager is responsible for ensuring that the IT team has a safe place to work and that servers and equipment can continue to run in an emergency. In this case, HF Planners, LLC would recommend a "Crisis Room," sometimes called "War Rooms" or "Situation Rooms," for the workplace. This is an annex office or conference room that can be electronically and physically remote from the rest of the office.
In the case of active shooter drills, surveillance systems and a mass notification system (MNS) can be incorporated into the building's security measures. Start at entryways to control access to the workplace. This ensures everyone entering the building has a valid need to be there and tracks the "who" and "when." Surveillance can come in the form of badge tracking and video cameras. Cameras will allow police and building management to work together to understand the situation entirely. MNS enable communication with large groups in the shape of loudspeakers, cellular text messaging, electronic displays, and wireless duress buttons. These response systems are often color-coded in blue instead of the well-known red associated with fire safety devices.
For many facilities, a critical emergency preparedness measure is ensuring that access to your Information Technology (IT) is physically protected. Beyond software or malware protection programs, a facility manager is responsible for ensuring that the IT team has a safe place to work and that servers and equipment can continue to run in an emergency. In this case, HF Planners, LLC would recommend a "Crisis Room," sometimes called "War Rooms" or "Situation Rooms," for the workplace. This is an annex office or conference room that can be electronically and physically remote from the rest of the office.
A more recent aspect of interior design's impact on emergency preparedness is the space's ability to be modified to accommodate a viral pandemic. Since 2020, the phrase "social distance" and the length of 6 feet have become part of our vernacular. This put a very sharp focus on safety for open offices that had been shrinking their physical barriers and desk sizes over the last decade. In an emergency requiring low population density and physical barriers between people, the facility manager must figure out how to safely allow employees back into work. By working with an interior designer or workplace strategist, like HF Planners, LLC, a facility manager can explore ways to select furniture and layouts that will enable the environment to be reconfigured. The space plan is key to ensuring proper groupings and distancing between desks. In addition, forward-thinking facility managers and designers have implemented strategically placed disinfecting and temperature check stations. Since we do not know what the "new normal" will look like after the next pandemic, flexibility is the best tool to pivot quickly and move forward.
Ultimately, it's difficult to predict what shape our next major emergency will take. However, everyone deserves a workspace that can be more than a place to "do a job." HF Planners, LLC can help prepare for the worst but expect the best by providing a safe office that makes a space a "place," creating opportunities to collaborate with co-workers or solve a crisis.
Casey Murphy, CID is senior interior designer & project manager at HF Planners, LLC.