The Facility Manager’s Critical Preparedness Checklist
When an emergency strikes, you have seconds, not hours to make consequential decisions. The difference between a coordinated response and dangerous chaos often comes down to one thing: whether the right emergency building information is in the right hands at the right moment.
As a facility manager, you are the first line of defense, the owner of the building safety plan. But if there’s a fire, an active threat, a major power failure, or a natural disaster, even experienced professionals can find themselves scrambling for facility emergency documents that should have been at their fingertips. Our checklist is designed to change that.
Why This Is Your Responsibility
OSHA’s Emergency Action Plan standard (29 CFR 1910.38) makes it clear: a well-developed emergency plan results in fewer injuries and less structural damage. A poorly prepared plan can lead to confusion, injury, and property damage. Beyond meeting compliance regulations, you need a clear plan because critical building data is an operational asset. You can respond most effectively when your building information is accessible in a crisis.
The Emergency Building Information Checklist
Use the following checklist to audit your current emergency preparedness documentation. Every item should be verified as current and accessible to authorized personnel. Ideally this data should also be stored in a secure digital document management system that can be accessed from any location.
Building & Site Documents
- [ ] Current as-built floor plans for every floor, including room numbers and occupancy designations
- [ ] Site maps showing access roads, exterior utility connections, and fire hydrant locations
- [ ] Evacuation route maps with primary and secondary egress paths
- [ ] Assembly area locations
- [ ] ADA accessibility maps, including areas of rescue assistance for non-ambulatory occupants
- [ ] Hazardous material (HAZMAT) locations marked on floor plans
- [ ] Building construction type and structural material documentation
Utility Systems & Shutoffs
This is the most critical category of emergency response information. First responders will ask for it immediately.
- [ ] Main electrical shutoff and panel directory
- [ ] Generator location, fuel type, capacity, and manual override procedures
- [ ] Natural gas main shutoff location and valve operation instructions
- [ ] Water main and branch shutoff locations
- [ ] Fire suppression system controls and sprinkler shutoff locations
- [ ] HVAC emergency shutoff and smoke control system overrides
- [ ] Elevator machine room location and emergency lowering procedures
- [ ] Utility provider emergency contact numbers (dedicated emergency lines, not main customer service)
Emergency Response Plans
- [ ] OSHA Emergency Action Plan (EAP) — required under 29 CFR 1910.38
- [ ] Fire Prevention Plan
- [ ] Active Threat / Lockdown Response Plan
- [ ] Severe Weather and Natural Disaster procedures by building zone
- [ ] Extended Power Outage Plan, including backup power priorities
- [ ] Medical Emergency Plan — AED locations, first aid stations, trained staff roster
- [ ] Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
Personnel & Communications
- [ ] Emergency contacts: facility team, ownership, and executive leadership
- [ ] First responder liaison contacts: local fire, police, and EMS
- [ ] Occupant special needs registry — those requiring evacuation assistance
- [ ] Floor warden assignments with designated backups
- [ ] Vendor emergency contacts: elevator, fire systems, HVAC, and structural support
- [ ] Insurance carrier contacts with policy numbers accessible
Compliance & Recovery Documents
- [ ] Certificate of Occupancy and current fire inspection certificate
- [ ] OSHA compliance and incident records
- [ ] Drill and training records
- [ ] Business continuity and recovery plan with prioritized restoration sequence
- [ ] Insurance policies and claim procedures
Regulatory Requirements by Industry
Every sector carries specific mandates. Here’s what you need to know and where to find the governing standards.
Healthcare
Healthcare is one of the most heavily regulated industries for emergency preparedness with good reason. Patients cannot always self-evacuate, and care must continue even during catastrophic events.
The CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule (42 CFR) requires all Medicare- and Medicaid-participating providers to maintain an emergency plan with four core elements: risk assessment, policies and procedures, a communications plan, and training and testing.
Education
Schools face a unique challenge: protecting children and young adults in buildings designed for openness and accessibility.
The U.S. Department of Education’s REMS program provides guidance and grant funding for school-based Emergency Operations Plans. NFPA 101 (Chapters 14 & 15) governs fire and life safety for educational occupancies.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing facilities have elevated emergency risks due to machinery, hazardous materials, complex utility systems, and large shift populations.
OSHA’s Process Safety Management standard (29 CFR 1910.119) applies to facilities handling hazardous chemicals above threshold quantities. The EPA’s updated Risk Management Program Rule (40 CFR Part 68, revised 2024) requires a formal emergency response program for covered facilities.
Utilities
Utility facilities are designated critical infrastructure, which makes emergency preparedness both a regulatory obligation and a matter of public safety.
NERC Emergency and Operational Planning (EOP) standards, including EOP-012-2 for cold weather preparedness, are enforceable by FERC, with penalties routinely reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. CISA provides additional guidance for critical infrastructure protection.
Retirement Communities & Assisted Living
Retirement communities face high stakes in any emergency scenario. They are responsible for a mobility-limited population that cannot easily self-rescue and which requires continuity of care, medication management, and clinical oversight even during a crisis.
CMS mandates that Medicare- and Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities maintain facility-specific emergency plans reviewed annually. Most states impose additional independent licensing requirements. The AHCA/NCAL provides practical planning templates specifically for this setting.
The Biggest Gap in Most Facilities’ Preparedness
Ask many facility managers the location of their emergency documents, and you’ll hear variations of the same answer: in a binder in the main office, on a shared network drive, or “somewhere on the server.” These are three dangerous places for storing emergency information.
A binder is inaccessible if the office is locked, on fire, or underwater. A shared network drive is unreachable if the power is out or your network is down. “Somewhere on the server” sounds like a location that will use up precious time in order to locate emergency plans and key data.
The facility managers who respond most effectively in emergencies are those who have centralized their critical building information in a secure, cloud-based document management system, which can be accessed from a smartphone in a parking lot, shared instantly with first responders, and updated in real time as building systems and personnel change.
That means floor plans are current. Utility shutoff locations are mapped. Emergency contacts are up to date. And every critical document is exactly where it’s supposed to be because in an emergency, the only thing worse than missing information is information you can’t find.
Where to Start
If this checklist revealed gaps, start here:
- Audit what you have and flag what’s outdated or missing.
- Prioritize utility shutoffs and evacuation plans, which are the first documents first responders need.
- Digitize and centralize all facility emergency documents into a platform with 24/7 mobile access and role-based permissions.
- Schedule annual reviews because buildings, personnel, and regulations all change.
- Train your team so everyone knows where the information lives and how to use it.
Emergency preparedness isn’t a compliance checkbox. It’s one of the most important investments a facility manager can make and having your emergency response information organized and accessible is where it begins.
Ready to see what that looks like in practice? Schedule a demo of our facilities and document management platform.
Regulatory Sources & References:
- OSHA Emergency Action Plans (29 CFR 1910.38): https://www.osha.gov/etools/evacuation-plans-procedures/eap/
- FEMA Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/plan
- NFPA 101 Life Safety Code: https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-101-standard-development/101
- NFPA 1660 (2024): https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=1660
- CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/health-safety-standards/quality-safety-oversight-emergency-preparedness/emergency-preparedness-rule
- ASPR TRACIE (HHS): https://asprtracie.hhs.gov
- OSHA Process Safety Management (29 CFR 1910.119): https://www.osha.gov/process-safety-management
- EPA Risk Management Program: https://www.epa.gov/rmp
- FEMA-141 Business and Industry Guide: https://www.fema.gov/pdf/business/guide/bizindst.pdf
- NERC EOP Standards: https://www.nerc.com/globalassets/standards/reliability-standards/eop/eop-011-4.pdf
- CISA Critical Infrastructure Sectors: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/critical-infrastructure-security-and-resilience/critical-infrastructure-sectors
- CMS Long-Term Care EP Final Rule: https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/cmsrule
- AHCA/NCAL Emergency Preparedness: https://www.ahcancal.org/Survey-Regulatory-Legal/Emergency-Preparedness/Pages/default.aspx
