Design and Construction Guidance for Community Safe Rooms
FEMA 361, Second Edition/August 2008

CHAPTER 9. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONA

Disaster preparedness is crucial to quick and effective responses to emergency 
situations. Potential owners and managers of tornado and hurricane shelters 
should be ready and able to open a safe room for immediate use in response to an 
extreme-wind event. The best way to accomplish this is to create a Community 
Safe Room Plan tailored to the needs of the intended users of the facility. To 
help emergency managers and facility owners and operators prepare Community Safe 
Room Plans, this chapter presents guidelines for two types of plans: a Community 
Safe Room Operations Plan with an accompanying Community Safe Room Maintenance 
Plan in Sections 9.1 and 9.2, respectively, and a Commercial or Public Building 
Safe Room Operations Plan in Section 9.3. 

Typically, a plan is developed by a Community Safe Room Plan Coordinator whose 
responsibility is to develop, organize, and coordinate the Community Safe Room 
Operations Plan. The following guidelines are designed to help the Plan 
Coordinator organize the process of plan development, which should occur well in 
advance of any emergency event. While the Plan Coordinator primarily serves a 
planning role, he or she may also have a role during the activation and 
operation of the community safe room during an actual emergency. Specifically, 
the Community Safe Room Plan Coordinators responsibilities include the 
following: 

- Planning, organizing, and coordinating the development and maintenance of 
the Community Safe Room Operations Plan
- Ensuring that personnel are assigned roles to facilitate all aspects of 
the Community Safe Room Operations Plan
- Developing education and training programs relative to the Community Safe 
Room Operations Plan
- Coordinating practice drills and exercises to test the Community Safe Room 
Operations Plan
- Conducting regular community meetings to discuss emergency planning
- Preparing and distributing newsletters, as needed
- Distributing phone numbers of key personnel to appropriate individuals and 
agencies
- Ensuring that the Community Safe Room Operations Plan is periodically 
reviewed and updated as necessary

The plans described in this chapter should be considered as baseline plans that 
present the minimum information that should be contained in Community Safe Room 
Operations Plans. A sample Community Safe Room Operations Plan outlining the 
many of the recommended procedures that should be part of a Community Safe Room 
Operations Plan is presented in Appendix C. In addition, an actual tornado safe 
room operations plan from FEMA-sponsored safe room project has been included in 
Appendix D. Although the plan in Appendix D was developed prior to this 
guidance, it is a good example of a safe room operations plan for tornado 
hazards and is provided for informational purposes. Designers and operators of 
safe rooms should review these documents to improve their understanding of how 
the safe room will be relied upon during an event.

9.1	Community Safe Room Operations Plan

Each community safe room designed according to the guidance in this publication 
should have a Community Safe Room Operations Plan. The plan should describe the 
difference between tornado watches and warnings, and hurricane watches and 
warnings, and clearly define the actions to be taken for each type of weather-
related emergency. A Community Safe Room Management Team composed of members 
committed to performing various duties should be designated. The following is a 
list of action items for the Community Safe Room Operations Plan:

- The names and all contact information for the managers/leaders detailed in 
Sections 9.1.1 through 9.1.7 should be presented in the beginning of the plan.
- A tornado or hurricane watch is issued by the National Weather Service 
(NWS) when a tornado or a hurricane is possible in a given area. When a watch is 
issued, the Community Safe Room Management Team should be placed on alert. 
Depending on the type of the safe room and the impending emergency, the timing 
of the watch announcement, and the availability of personnel responsible for 
safe room operations, the plan should specify the types of activities to be 
performed for each contingency. For example, a stand-alone community safe room 
in a residential neighborhood may need to be opened and prepared for a possible 
emergency at this early stage.
- A tornado or hurricane warning is issued when a tornado or hurricane has 
been sighted or indicated by weather radar. When a warning is issued, the 
Community Safe Room Management Team should be activated and should begin 
performing the following tasks:
- Sending the warning signal to the community, alerting them to go to the 
community safe room
- Evacuating the residents who need assistance to reach the community safe 
room
- Taking a head count in the community safe room
- Securing the community safe room
- Notifying and maintaining contact with the local Emergency Operations 
Center (EOC)
- Monitoring the storm from within the community safe room
- After the storm is over, determining when conditions warrant allowing 
community safe room occupants to leave and return to their homes
- After the storm is over, cleaning the community safe room and restocking 
emergency supplies

A member of the Community Safe Room Management Team can take on multiple 
assignments or roles as long as all assigned tasks can be performed effectively 
by the team member before and during an extreme-wind event. Readiness and 
availability of the Community Safe Room Management Team is of special importance 
for stand-alone community safe rooms in residential neighborhoods and the 
Community Safe Room Operations Plan should specify the duties and 
responsibilities of the team for each type of emergency.

The following team members would be responsible for overseeing the 
implementation of the Community Safe Room Operations Plan:

- Community Safe Room Manager
- Building Manager (for safe rooms in public or commercial facilities)
- Shift Supervisor
- Registration Unit Leader
- Health Services Unit Leader
- Communications Unit Leader
- Food Unit Leader

Full contact information (i.e., home and work telephone, cell phone, and pager 
numbers) should be provided for all team members and their designated backups. 
The responsibilities of each of these team members are detailed in Sections 
9.1.1 through 9.1.7. Appendix C provides an example of a Community Safe Room 
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Appendix C also includes a suggested list of 
equipment and supplies for community safe rooms in Attachment 11. 

9.1.1	Community Safe Room Manager

The Community Safe Room Manager provides overall supervision and management of 
the community safe rooms operations both during its activation and in between 
the emergency events. The Community Safe Room Manager ensures that the needs of 
the community safe room occupants are being met. The Community Safe Room 
Managers responsibilities include the following:  

- Establishing contact with the local EOC and the facilitys 
representative(s)
- Conducting a pre-event safe room walkthrough
- Ensuring that adequate personnel are in place and appropriately assigned 
to manage and operate the community safe room 
- Ensuring that all aspects of the Community Safe Room SOP are implemented
- Ensuring that the community safe room occupants receive accurate and 
updated information
- Ensuring that health and safety standards are met
- Coordinating the closure of the community safe room

9.1.2	Building Manager

The Building Manager serves as the building owners representative (i.e., 
facility owner, school principal, etc.) and provides security, maintenance, 
housekeeping, and logistical support for sheltering responsibilities within the 
facility. The Building Manager is responsible for the overall building/facility 
operations and works closely with the Community Safe Room Manager, who ensures 
that the needs of community safe room occupants are being met. The Building 
Managers responsibilities include:

- Establishing contact with the Community Safe Room Manager and activating 
the facility when ready
- Conducting a pre-occupancy inspection in collaboration with the Community 
Safe Room Manager
- Surveying and laying out the space plan for the occupants and the Food 
Unit in collaboration with the Community Safe Room Manager and Food Unit Leader
- Assigning appropriate staff to implement the extreme-wind protocol and 
ensure the integrity of the facility; making regular rounds of the interior and 
exterior portions of the building on a regular basis, weather permitting 
- Understanding the operation of all facility equipment (including 
communications, lighting, and safety equipment, and closures for building 
openings)
- Routinely inspecting the safety and sanitation of the facility, including 
the kitchen, occupant areas, bathrooms, exterior, and registration area and 
ensure that health standards and occupants needs are being met
- Completing an inventory of all supplies owned by the facility that were 
used in the community safe room 

9.1.3	Shift Supervisor

The Shift Supervisors are responsible for the operational elements of the 
community safe room during their shift, including staffing, ordering 
food/snacks, water, and supplies, monitoring occupants, etc. The Shift 
Supervisor reports directly to the Community Safe Room Manager. The Shift 
Supervisors responsibilities include the following: 

- Surveying and laying out the space plan for the occupants
- Posting signage throughout the community safe room
- Recruiting and training personnel and volunteers
- Assisting the Community Safe Room Manager in keeping occupants informed
- Monitoring community safe room occupants to ensure their needs are being 
met
- Coordinating the completion of an inventory of all supplies
- Performing duties of the Community Safe Room Manager when he/she is off 
site or unable to carry out his/her responsibilities

9.1.4	Registration Unit Leader

The Registration Unit Leader and his/her staff ensure that persons entering and 
leaving the community safe room go through the registration process so that 
there is an accurate tracking mechanism for all occupants. In cases of extreme 
urgency, the registration process should not impede the occupants admission to 
the safe room and may be conducted after the safe room has been secured. The 
Registration Unit Leaders responsibilities include the following: 

- Surveying and laying out the space plan for the Registration Unit near the 
entrance to the community safe room
- Posting signage in strategic areas that directs evacuees to the 
registration area of the community safe room
- Recruiting and training personnel and volunteers, especially multi-lingual 
registrars
- Assisting the Community Safe Room Manager in keeping occupants informed
- Referring appropriate persons to the Health Services Unit (e.g., ill or 
injured persons, or those on special medications or diets, etc.)
- Maintaining a community safe room census and reporting it to the Community 
Safe Room Manager as required
- Ensuring that all community safe room occupants have been accounted for 
during closure procedures

9.1.5	Health Services Unit Leader

The Health Services Unit Leader ensures the provision of quality health services 
and that applicable public health standards (state, county, or municipal) are 
met. Health Services Unit personnel should be appropriately credentialed 
personnel recruited from local health, medical and Emergency Management Service 
(EMS) agencies (e.g., nurses, paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians [EMTs], 
etc.). The Health Services Unit Leaders responsibilities include the following: 

- Determining the needs of the community safe room occupants and arranging 
to meet those needs by referring the ill or injured and treating minor illnesses 
or injuries
- Being available at the registration desk to help screen arriving evacuees 
for communicable diseases, major medical conditions, etc.
- Arranging for the care of those occupants requiring assistance (e.g., 
infants, elderly, those with disabilities)
- Arranging for the inspection of the community safe room facilities to 
ensure that all health and safety standards are met, including food handling 
procedures
- Maintaining appropriate records and ensuring the confidentiality of all 
medical information
- Ensuring that all community safe room occupants have been accounted for 
during closure procedures, especially those with any medical needs (to the 
extent possible), ensuring continuity of care
- Transferring medical records to appropriate authorities, as needed

9.1.6	Communications Unit Leader

The Communications Unit Leader is usually a full-time, 24-hour position required 
to provide communications between the community safe room, the EOC, and other 
components of the disaster relief operation when telephones are out of order or 
anticipated to be out of order. It is recommended that local amateur radio 
operators (HAM) and/or Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) members be 
recruited to fulfill this function. The Communications Unit Leaders 
responsibilities include the following:  

- Establishing contact with facility representatives and/or Building Manager 
to determine the appropriate location for radio and communications equipment
- Determining, in collaboration with the Community Safe Room Manager, which 
people have the authority to transmit messages 
- Establishing initial (pre-event) contact with the local EOC and other 
components of the disaster relief operation
- Establishing and maintaining a communications log
- Arranging for the return of any equipment once the community safe room is 
closed or communications are restored to normal 

9.1.7	Food Unit Leader

The feeding responsibilities in a community safe room include supervising on-
site food preparation and service for community safe room occupants and staff. 
The Food Unit Leader advises the Community Safe Room Manager of supplies that 
are needed, ensures that safe food handling procedures are followed, and sees 
that menus are planned. The Food Unit Leader may prepare and monitor the food 
service staff work schedule and record the hours of personnel as requested. The 
Food Unit Leaders responsibilities include the following: 

- Surveying and laying out the space plan for the Food Unit (e.g., food 
preparation, food storage, disposal, and dining areas)
- Coordinating meal times with the Community Safe Room Manager
- Identifying supply sources for utilities, food, water, and supplies
- Completing an inventory of food supplies on hand
- Overseeing the preparation of meals with the assistance of occupant 
volunteers
- Restocking food, water, and supplies as needed
- Cleaning food service and preparation areas, including a final clean prior 
to closure
- Maintaining records for documentation purposes

9.1.8	Equipment and Supplies

Safe rooms designed and constructed to the criteria in this publication are 
intended to provide safe refuge from an extreme-wind event. These safe rooms 
serve a different function from shelters designed for use as long-term recovery 
shelters after an event; however, Community Safe Room Managers may elect to 
provide supplies that increase the comfort level within the short-term safe 
rooms. Appendix C, Attachment 11, lists suggested equipment and supplies for 
community safe rooms.

9.2 Community Safe Room Maintenance Plan

Each community safe room should have a maintenance plan that includes the 
following:

- An inventory checklist of the emergency supplies (see Appendix C, 
Attachment 11)
- Information concerning the availability of emergency generators to be used 
to provide power for lighting and ventilation
- A schedule of regular maintenance of the safe room to be performed by a 
designated party

Such plans will help to ensure that the community safe room equipment and 
supplies are fully functional during and after tornadoes and hurricanes. The 
Community Safe Room Maintenance Plan should be included as part of a Community, 
Commercial, or other Safe Room Operations Plan.

9.3	Commercial or Public Building Safe Room Operations Plan

A shelter designed to the criteria of this manual may be used by a group other 
than a residential community (e.g., the shelter may have been provided by a 
commercial business for its workers or by a school for its students). Guidance 
for preparing a Commercial or Public Building Safe Room Operations Plan is 
presented in this section. Please note that, although the sample operating 
procedures outlined in Appendix C are more tailored to residential safe rooms, 
there are many elements within the sample procedures that are applicable to 
preparing a Commercial or Public Building Safe Room Operations Plan.

9.3.1	Emergency Assignments

It is important to have personnel assigned to various tasks and responsibilities 
for emergency situations before they occur. An Emergency Committee, consisting 
of a Site Emergency Coordinator, a Safety Manager, and an Emergency Security 
Coordinator (and backups), should be formed, and additional personnel should be 
assigned to serve on the committee.

The Site Emergency Coordinators responsibilities include the following:

- Maintaining a current Safe Room Operations Plan
- Overseeing the activation of the Safe Room Operations Plan
- Providing signage
- Notifying local authorities
- Implementing emergency procedures
- As necessary, providing for emergency housing and feeding needs of 
personnel isolated at the site because of an emergency situation
- Maintaining a log of events

The Safety Managers responsibilities include the following:
- Ensuring that all personnel are thoroughly familiar with the Safe Room 
Operations Plan
- Conducting training programs that, at a minimum, include the following:
- The various warning signals used, what they mean, and what responses are 
required
- What to do in an emergency (e.g., where to report)
- The identification, location, and use of common emergency equipment (e.g., 
fire extinguishers)
- Shutdown and startup procedures
- Evacuation and sheltering procedures (e.g., routes, locations of safe 
areas)
- Conducting drills and exercises (at a minimum, twice annually) to evaluate 
the Safe Room Operations Plan and to test the effectiveness of the emergency 
procedures
- Ensuring that employees with special needs have been consulted about their 
specific disabilities and then determining how best to provide them with 
assistance during an emergency (FEMAs United States Fire Administrations 
publication Emergency Procedures for Employees with Disabilities in Office 
Occupancies is an excellent source of information on this topic.)
- Conducting an evaluation after a drill, exercise, or actual occurrence of 
an emergency situation, in order to determine the adequacy and effectiveness of 
the Community Safe Room Operations Plan and the appropriateness of the response 
by the site emergency personnel

The Emergency Security Coordinators responsibilities include the following:
- Opening the shelter for occupancy
- Controlling the movement of people and vehicles at the site and 
maintaining access lanes for emergency vehicles and personnel
- Locking down the community safe room
- Assisting with the care and handling of injured persons
- Preventing unauthorized entry into hazardous or secured areas
- Assisting with fire suppression, if necessary
In addition, the Emergency Committees responsibilities include the following:
- Informing employees in their assigned areas when to shut down work or 
equipment and evacuate the area
- Accounting for all employees in their assigned areas
- Turning off all equipment

9.3.2	Emergency Call List

A Community Safe Room Operations Plan for a commercial or public building should 
include a list of all current emergency contact numbers. A copy of the list 
should be kept in the designated community safe room area. The following is a 
suggested list of what agencies/numbers should be included:

- Office emergency management contacts for the building 
- Local fire department (both emergency and non-emergency numbers)
- Local police department (both emergency and non-emergency numbers)
- Local ambulance
- Local EOC
- Local emergency utilities (e.g., gas, electric, water, telephone)
- Emergency contractors (e.g., electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire alarm 
and sprinkler service, window replacement, temporary emergency windows, general 
building repairs)
- Any regional office services pertinent to the company or companies 
occupying the building (e.g., catastrophe preparedness unit, company cars, 
communications, mail center, maintenance, records management, purchasing/supply, 
data processing)
- Local services (e.g., cleaning, grounds maintenance, waste disposal, 
vending machines, snow removal, post office, postage equipment, copy machine 
repair, elevator music supplier)

9.3.3	Tornado/Hurricane Procedures for Safety of Employees

The following procedures should be followed in the event of a tornado or a 
hurricane:
- The person first aware of the onset of severe weather should notify the 
switchboard operator or receptionist, or management immediately.
- If the switchboard operator or receptionist is notified, he or she should 
notify the management immediately.
- Radios or televisions should be tuned to a local news or weather station, 
and the weather conditions should be monitored closely.
- If conditions warrant, the management should notify the employees to 
proceed to and assemble in a designated safe area(s). A suggested announcement 
would be The area is experiencing severe weather conditions. Please proceed 
immediately to the designated safe area and stay away from all windows.
- Employees should sit on the floor in the designated safe area(s) and 
remain there until the Site Emergency Coordinator announces that conditions are 
safe for returning to work. 

9.4	Signage

The Community or Commercial Safe Room Management Plan should summarize all 
activities and strongly encourage community involvement. Potential area 
community safe room occupants should be given a list of all key personnel and 
associated contact information. The plan should also describe the type of 
signage occupants are to follow to reach the safe room. The signs should be 
illuminated, luminescent, and obvious.

[Begin text box]
ICC-500 CROSS-REFERENCE
Signage for a FEMA 361 community safe room should be installed as described in 
Section 3.9 of this publication and as defined in Section 108 of the ICC-500.
[End text box]

9.4.1	Community Signage

It is very important that community safe room occupants can reach the facility 
quickly and without chaos. Parking is often a problem at community shelters and 
safe rooms; therefore, a Community Safe Room Operations Plan should instruct 
occupants to proceed to a community safe room on foot if time permits. Main 
pathways should be determined and laid out for the community. Pathways should be 
marked to direct users to the community safe room. Finally, the interior or 
exterior of the community safe room should have a sign that clearly identifies 
the building as a community safe room, indicating whether it is a tornado, 
hurricane, or combined community safe room.

9.4.2	Building Signage at Schools and Places of Work

Signage for safe rooms at schools and places of work should be clearly posted 
and should direct occupants through the building or from building to building. 
If the safe room is in a government-funded or public-funded facility, a placard 
should be placed on the outside of the building designating it an emergency safe 
room (see Figure 9-1). It is recommended that signage be posted on the outside 
of all other types of safe rooms as well. The sign should indicate whether the 
facility is a tornado, hurricane, or combined community safe room.

[Begin figure 9-1] 
Figure 9-1. Example of a wind safe room sign (see Detail 201, Sheet A2, 
Schedules and Details, in the drawing titled Community Shelter, Hurricane Floyd 
Housing Initiative, North Carolina  Appendix C of this manual)

This figure is an illustration showing 3 different signs. Safe Rooms and logos 
shall be reflective, using 3M Scotchite Diamond-Grade reflective sheeting or an 
equivalent product. Yellow in color. Verify with the manufacturer that the sign 
will glow for a minimum of 6 hours, in the event of power loss. The applicable 
picture should be shown for the hazard(s) the safe room has been designed to 
rrsist  tornado, hurricane, or combined (show both picture). The applicable 
hazard should be shown in text. For a safe room designed to resist both 
hurricanes and tornadoes, use the term combinded.

It is important to note, however, that once a public building has been 
identified as a tornado or hurricane safe room, people who live or work in the 
area around the safe room may expect it to be open during an event. Safe room 
owners should be aware of this and make it clear that the times when a safe room 
will be open may be limited. For example, a community safe room in an elementary 
school or commercial building may not be accessible at night.