Emergency Preparedness Tips for Apartment/Mobile Home Park Managers

  • Consult local building codes to ensure that buildings meet current seismic safety standards.
  • Develop an emergency plan before an earthquake that includes guidelines for storing water and food, obtaining first aid training, appointing floor or area leaders and conducting drills. 
  • Encourage tenants to develop their own emergency plans. 
  • Encourage mobile home tenants to install structural support bracing systems, leave wheels on homes, rather than removing them, and secure awnings. A list of state-certified bracing systems is available from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. 
  • Organize teams that will be responsible for first aid, search-and-rescue, communications and firefighting. 
  • Provide tenants with a white flag or a distinguishable sign to post that will indicate whether they have been seriously injured. 
  • Practice Duck, Cover & Hold drills in your complex or park.

Hold meetings to discuss these plans and provide information to your tenants. You shouldn't depend on your tenants to know what to do in an emergency.  Help them prepare for an earthquake.

Most importantly, you will want to prepare people to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours after an earthquake.

For more information call (650) 286-3350 or e-mail fire@fostercity.org

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