When you open an apartment renting business, you will be handing out units to people who pay you for comfort and safety. As the landlord, you must be able to provide your tenants with ways to escape if an unforeseen disaster happens. You will also need to have tactics prepared to help people get out of the building — in case of a fire or an earthquake — as fast as possible. Here are a few things you need to create an escape plan:
Make Sure the Alarm is Working
People are usually busy with their own lives, which means that they will not be able to pay attention to most things that do not concern them. However, the situation changes when a fire breaks out inside the building. You will need to warn your busy tenants that they must evacuate the building quickly. Fortunately, a loud alarm is a universally-recognized sound for an emergency. You will be able to get attention if the alarm bell can penetrate the building walls. You must also provide every floor of the building with an emergency alarm switch to distribute the responsibility of an emergency evacuation.
Make Exit Points Visible and Stable
The first thing that comes into mind in a horrifying situation is panic. When fear starts to consume them, your tenants will be looking for ways out. However, they might consider more dangerous options if you fail to give them a clear view of the proper exit points. The fire escape hatch and emergency stairs must be in plain sight at all times. You may also put up signs to tell people where to go if they have to evacuate the building. People in shock will be running and clawing to the exits if a natural disaster happens. Your fire escape stairs must be able to support the weight of your tenants. If you do not want to give them another problem to worry about during an emergency, you should consider investing in durable materials for your fire escape. The steps and the railings of the ladder must be in stable condition at all times. You can hire a company that provides railing fabrication in West Valley City if you want to make your fire escape durable.
Perform Test Runs
You should expect that your tenants have never experienced a disaster before, especially when they are new to the building. When people do not know what to do during an emergency, they might find it difficult to move. You should avoid casualties at all costs, which makes earthquake and fire drills important in an apartment building. You can encourage the tenants to participate in the safety activity. Determine how many minutes it takes to evacuate your building. When you conduct your next drill, you should look to improve the results of the previous trial. You will be able to help tenants be more alert when it comes to emergencies.
Landlords must realize that security and safety are part of what the tenants are paying for when renting an apartment. If you fail to provide them with the proper way to practice for safety during emergencies, the results might become unfortunate when a real disaster strikes.