High Rise buildings and skyscrapers offer great convenience and economy, especially as our urban spaces have 
become more cramped over time. However, dealing with the logistical difficulties of having a structure in which the inhabitants are effectively living above one another with a limited number of entries and exits increases the need for attention to safety. The very nature of a high rise causes many complications. First, being at a height comes at a price – firemen and their hoses cannot reach the 40th floor when there is a fire there, not even with their tallest ladders. The tallest ladder with firemen in our country is thought by some to be in Milwaukee, and it’s only 135 feet tall – which means that it can probably not reach even the 20th floor of most buildings. With hoses and ladders inaccessible, blazes and fires need to be controlled where they are, and getting to them in emergencies is something that needs due consideration. And it isn’t just fire – even a malfunctioning elevator on a high floor can cause considerable difficulty.
While getting inside the building in an emergency is tough, getting out may be more so. If an emergency either causes the elevator system to malfunction or causes some kind of block on a particular floor, the people in that building are at immense risk. The danger of a floor being inaccessible both while traveling upwards or downwards in a high rise is immense, and it could potentially mean leaving hundreds of people in harm’s way and without the option of escape. This was seen in the tragic 9/11 attack on the World Trade Towers, as helpless citizens had to jump out of windows to escape the unbearable heat from the fire.
Other more banal dangers also need to be considered – earthquakes, extreme weather, power fluctuations, and so many other circumstances during which lives can and will be saved if people are prepared. Training the inhabitants and users of a building in its safety and being prepared for all eventualities is not just a good idea. It is a major responsibility, and it has many major federal, state, and local laws that regulate it.
The safety and security of people depends greatly on creating a complete and secure high rise emergency plan. This allows the inhabitants of the building to know what to do and how to react when situations that threaten their safety and security arise. In a world of great risks of various sorts, some man-made and others natural, you cannot operate or manage a building without a high rise emergency plan. With that in mind, expert speaker Bo Mitchell is hosting an event on safety and security compliance, with respect to making high rise emergency plans.
