A free emergency response plan template for property managers and the restoration companies that serve them: 40 items in nine sections covering contacts, shutoffs, pre-approved emergency work, priority rooms, access and tenant messages, as a Word download.
An emergency response plan template for property management records who to call first, where every shutoff is, how much emergency work the restorer can start without a callback, which rooms to protect first and how to get in after hours. This free template has 40 items in nine sections; Botcadence's restoration answering service can answer its 24/7 number.
An emergency response plan template for property management records, for one building, who to call first, where every shutoff is and who can operate it, how much emergency work a restoration company can start without a callback, which rooms to protect first, how to get in after hours and who tells the tenants. This free template has those 40 items in nine sections, written for a restoration company to fill in with a commercial client and leave on file with both.
We build Botcadence, which sells an AI restoration answering service, so we have an interest in the 24/7 number at the top of the plan being answered. The template works with any restoration company and any phone setup.
On a commercial loss, the first hour is usually lost to questions, not to water. Who has the key to the mechanical room? Where is the sprinkler control valve? Is the night security guard allowed to approve extraction, or does someone have to wake the owner? Each of those questions costs time while the water keeps moving.
An emergency response plan answers them in advance. Ready.gov's guidance for businesses says plans should define protective actions for each hazard, set out how to alert first responders and management, and document the internal and external resources responders will need, recording any missing information in the plan. A restoration company's version adds the details only a restorer asks for: the shutoffs, the pre-approved spending limit and where to stage equipment.
For the property manager, the plan means one number to call and fewer decisions at 2 am. For the restoration company, it means the job starts with an address, a contact who answers, a key and a signature already in place.
Pre-loss plans are a standard way restoration companies build commercial relationships, and the large franchise networks run their own versions:
An independent restoration company can offer the same thing without an app: a site walk, a filled-in plan, tagged shutoffs and a laminated card with the 24/7 number. The plan is also a reason to meet the property manager in person, see the building before it floods, and be the number on the wall when it does.
The nine sections follow the order a restorer needs on the night of a loss: where it is, who to call, what to shut off, what is already approved, what to protect, how to get in, who tells the tenants, and how the claim is documented.
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Property name and street address | Write in | The address the crew drives to, written the way a dispatcher reads it out. |
| Property type | Office / Retail / Multifamily / Industrial or warehouse / Healthcare / School / Other | Sets the crew, equipment and safety rules for the job. |
| Buildings, floors and approximate square footage | Write in | Lets the restorer size the first response before anyone is on site. |
| Year built | Write in | Older buildings can mean lead paint or asbestos, which changes how materials are removed. |
| Hours the building is occupied | Write in | Tells the crew whether people will be inside and who can let them in. |
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Property manager: name, mobile and email | Write in | The person the restorer calls first on a loss. |
| After-hours contact, if different | Write in | Losses happen at night and on weekends, when the daytime manager may not answer. |
| Owner or asset manager | Write in | Approves work above the pre-approved limit and receives the loss report. |
| Maintenance lead or building engineer | Write in | Usually the person who knows where the shutoffs are and can open mechanical rooms. |
| Alarm and fire monitoring company, and account number | Write in | Alarms may need to be reset or put on test while the crew works. |
| Insurance agent, carrier and policy number | Write in | The claim usually starts on the first day, and the carrier will ask what was done to limit the damage. |
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Restoration company name | Write in | So nobody has to search for a vendor in the middle of a loss. |
| 24/7 emergency number | Write in | The one number every contact on this plan calls first. It has to be answered at 2 am. |
| Client account number | Write in | Lets whoever answers find this plan and the pre-approved limit straight away. |
| Commercial account manager | Write in | The daytime contact for the plan, reviews and invoices. |
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Water main: location, and who can operate it | Write in | Stopping the water is the first job on a supply line or pipe break. |
| Gas meter or shutoff: location, and who can operate it | Write in | Gas leaks go to the gas utility or 911 first, but responders need to know where it is. |
| Electrical panels: locations, and which areas each one feeds | Write in | Power to wet areas has to be made safe before anyone works in them. |
| Fire sprinkler control valve: location, and who is authorized to close it | Write in | A discharged sprinkler keeps flowing until the valve is closed, and closing it usually needs the fire department or monitoring company told. |
| HVAC and air handlers: location of controls | Write in | Air handlers can spread smoke, soot or mold, and may need to be shut down. |
| Elevator recall or shutdown, if applicable | Write in | Water in an elevator shaft is a safety issue and an expensive repair. |
| Photos of each shutoff attached | Yes / No | A photo of the valve and the room it is in saves minutes when someone new has to find it. |
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency work the restorer can start without a callback, up to this amount | Write in | Mitigation work can start straight away instead of waiting for a signature at 3 am. |
| Who can approve work above that amount, and how to reach them | Write in | Keeps a large loss moving once the first response is done. |
| Work that always needs approval first | Write in | Records the client's own rules, such as no demolition without the owner's sign-off. |
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Rooms to protect first | Server or IT room / Records or files / Inventory or stock / Medical or lab areas / Tenant spaces / Other | Tells the crew where to put equipment and people first. |
| Hazardous materials on site, and the safety data sheet location | Write in | Changes how the crew approaches the loss and what protection they wear. |
| Contents that must not be moved without the owner | Write in | Protects equipment and records the client wants handled only by its own staff. |
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Keys, key box or access cards: where they are and who holds them | Write in | A locked building is a delay the crew can't fix at night. |
| Alarm and door codes, or who can disarm the alarm | Write in | Keep codes out of the shared copy if the client prefers, and record who to call instead. |
| After-hours entry instructions | Write in | Security desks and gated sites need to know a crew is coming. |
| Parking and access for equipment trucks | Write in | Dehumidifiers, extraction units and trailers need somewhere to park close to the building. |
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Who tells tenants and occupants about a loss | Write in | One person speaking for the property avoids mixed messages. |
| How tenants are told | Text / Email / Phone tree / Building app / Notice on doors | The fastest channel the property already uses. |
| Message to send when a loss affects tenants | Write in | Drafting it ahead of time means the first message goes out in minutes, not hours. |
| Item | What to fill in | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Who opens the claim, and the carrier's claim line | Write in | Avoids two people opening two claims for the same loss. |
| Photo and documentation the carrier expects | Write in | Before, during and after photos and moisture readings support the claim. |
| Date this plan was reviewed, and by whom | Write in | A plan is only useful if the contacts and shutoffs are still right. |
| Next review date | Write in | Contacts change every year; review at least once a year and after any staff change. |
| Signatures: property manager and restoration company | Write in | Records that both sides agreed the pre-approved limit and the contacts. |
A plan filled in from an office chair misses the details that matter. Walk the building with the property manager or the building engineer and fill it in as you go:
If you already use our restoration intake form for calls, the plan answers half its questions before the call happens: the address, the contacts, who can authorize work and the insurance details.
Contacts change faster than buildings. Review the plan at least once a year, and again whenever:
Put the next review date on the plan and in your own calendar. A yearly review is also a natural reason for the restoration company to visit the client.
The plan puts one number in front of every contact: the restoration company's emergency line. That number has to work on the worst night of the year.
Our free water damage intake call script sets out the questions in order, with a Spanish version.
The 24/7 number printed on the plan can be your Botcadence-answered line. Botcadence's AI receptionist for restoration:
Commercial clients who text or message instead of calling can reach the same agent; see AI for restoration companies. It runs on the Voice AI plan, $299 a month with 1,500 minutes; see pricing.
Questions readers ask
The property address and type, key contacts including an after-hours contact, the restoration company's 24/7 line and account number, the location of every utility and sprinkler shutoff and who can operate it, a pre-approved emergency spending limit, priority rooms, after-hours access, tenant messaging, insurance details and a review date.
It is SERVPRO's name for its free pre-loss plan for commercial clients. A SERVPRO professional walks the facility to record shutoff locations, access points and emergency contacts and stores them in a mobile app. Independent restoration companies can offer the same thing with a filled-in plan like this template.
So emergency mitigation can start straight away instead of waiting for a signature in the middle of the night. The plan records the amount the restorer can spend without a callback and who approves anything above it, signed by both sides.
At least once a year, and whenever the property manager, building engineer, alarm company, insurance policy or building layout changes. Review it after any loss too, to record what slowed the response.
The property manager, the building engineer or on-site staff, and the restoration company, filed against the client's account number so whoever answers the 24/7 line can pull it up during a call.
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