Condo Media - June 2023 - 41

SEMINAR APPROACH
Community meetings and gatherings
do not just need to be about reviewing
budgets or project proposals or about
most of the community not showing
up to vote for the next crop of board
members. Instead, consider bringing in
interesting guest speakers for seminars
and to educate residents. Note as well
that the topics do not need to be strictly
limited to condominium-related safety
concerns. Residents will likely appreciate
the opportunity to learn about
general practices they can incorporate
in any context.
Try reaching out to your local police
department to see if they have a representative
who will come to give your
residents advice on practices to help
reduce chances of being victimized by
crime. A police representative could
talk about good habits such as not propping
open common doors, trying to familiarize
oneself with the neighbors to
have an idea of who lives in the complex
and who does not, or keeping valuables
out of sight in cars in the parking lot.
Many police departments are making
concerted efforts to also educate the
public about telephone, text message,
and internet scams.
Consider contacting your local fire
department. They may have someone
who can educate your community on
fire safety, chemical and materials
storage, evacuation " bug-out-bags, " or
first aid. The tidbits of advice from such
people can be indispensable for giving
residents tools to keep not only themselves
safer, but their neighbors as well.
For example, a firefighter once educated
me that the cheap surge protectors/
power strips readily available from large
online retailers often are not properly
tested or rated for the amount of power
that even an average consumer might
attempt to draw through that device.
Boards generally have the authority
to establish committees to fulfill various
functions, one of which could be a safety
and security committee that could be
tasked with reaching out to the police or
fire department and coordinating such
seminars. By including such seminars
Knowing who lives at the property
can be a great help to first responders
in case of emergencies.
on community meeting agendas,
a board might even succeed in
drawing greater unit owner attendance.
The more people show up for meetings,
the greater the potential for participation
in general association business,
not to mention the better everyone
can get at recognizing their neighbors.
RESIDENT CENSUS
Speaking of knowing your neighbors,
knowing who lives at the property can
be a great help to first responders in
case of emergencies. Boards may wish
to think about performing a survey of
the community as a sort of resident
census. While Massachusetts General
Laws Chapter 183A, Section 4(6) does
already require unit owners to provide
their condominium association with
the names of the occupants of their
units, the board can take a proactive
approach and actively request and
compile that information from unit
owners. If an emergency arises that
requires the fire department to enter
the building to check for occupants,
it can be extremely helpful for those
first responders if the association is
able to provide some general information
about how many people live in
the building or in particular units.
SAFETY PLAN
It can also be extremely helpful
for first responders if everyone in
the building is on the same page
about what to do in response to an
emergency. Associations may want to
consider putting together safety plans,
such as evacuation and assembly plans.
These plans are another project that
could be performed by a safety and
security committee. The committee
could devise suggested building evacuation
plans and routes (potentially in
collaboration with a fire department
representative) to distribute to the
community. These plans can include
assembly points where residents
should gather during an emergency,
ensuring they are a safe distance away
from potentially dangerous situations
and allowing first responders and
neighbors to take stock of who may
be unaccounted for.
It can be easy for residents to
fall into the mindset that the condominium
board needs to take steps
to keep the residents safe on the
property. Boards should try to foster
in unit owners the mindset that unit
owners ask not what their board can
do for them, but instead what they
can do to keep themselves (and their
neighbors) safer.
n JUSTIN MAGSARILI, ESQ. IS AN
ASSOCIATE AT THE FIRM OF MARCUS,
ERRICO, EMMER & BROOKS, P.C.
June 2023 CONDOMEDIA 41
Condo Media - June 2023

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