Page 28 - CooperatorNews New Jersey Expo 2021

28 COOPERATORNEWS NEW JERSEY —EXPO 2021 NJ.COOPERATORNEWS.COM A combustible building won’t be more than five or six stories, explains Bullock— usually, they’re no more than five stories. In a non-combustible building, safety depends on where the fire is, because that makes a difference in what actions residents should take in a given emergency. If you’re in a non- combustible building and there’s a fire—but it’s not near your unit—don’t leave the build- ing, says Bullock. It’s safer to assess the situ- ation, stay in your apartment, and wait for instructions from first responders. That’s because by definition, a non-combustible building has special fire walls between units that contain a fire, preventing flames from extending beyond the unit in which they originated—but if you leave the safety of your apartment and go into a smoky hall- way, you run the risk of harm from smoke inhalation. You can prevent smoke from coming into your apartment by putting a towel in the gap under the front door. Of course, if the fire is in your unit, you should leave the building immediately. By contrast, if you are in a combustible building, at the first sign of fire you should evacuate the building immediately. And no matter what the size or classification of your building, always be aware of and follow your FEPG instructions—and most importantly, never get into an elevator during a fire. Ac- cording to Bullock, except in very rare cir- cumstances and only under direct orders from a firefighter or officer, “They aren’t used in a fire at all. Do not enter an elevator during a fire, ever.” Fire safety should be one of the primary emergency plans your co-op corporation or condominium association prepares. Once done, it’s done—though it may require up- dating from time to time, and residents should be regularly reminded of your build- ing’s FEPG. Check with management to confirm that your building has one. If it doesn’t, lobby your board to get one in place. It may be a cliche, but when it comes to fire safety, an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for CooperatorNews, and a published novelist. FIRE SAFETY... continued from page 27 who bought as smokers. Medical use trumps anything else, so those who require medical marijuana would be able to smoke it without restriction. Use of medical marijuana with a provider prescription is the same thing as al- lowing emotional support animals in build- ings that prohibit pets.” As with any socially and legally evolving issue, rules around marijuana use in co-ops and condos will almost certainly require up- COPING WITH... continued from page 10 these contractors and vendors from whom to solicit RFPs and bids? “It’s industry knowl- edge,” says Schlossberg of identifying poten- tial contractors and vendors. “It’s not a huge community. We talk to each other from other companies, etc. We know who will do a good job and who is iffy. If someone does a great job on one building, we are likely to bring them in for another building. On large jobs we consult with and defer to the engineering specialist, because they know the nuances of any particular job and any particular contrac- tor.” Schlossberg continues: “If the engineer writing the RFP has a preference for a par- ticular vendor with whom we’ve had a bad experience, we will talk it out, but likely won’t work with that vendor again. We then will inform the board in any event. If the board says ‘go ahead,’ we will make clear our prior experience. The board makes the ultimate decision.” “All managers have their preferred ven- dors,” says Wolf. “We do too—many of them are long-term relationships. We trust these guys, so we use them. I’ve had issues where vendors get angry because they bid many times but don’t get the jobs. I tell them to bid better. It’s not a big issue for boards if you al- ways bring in the same people, as long as ev- erything’s done fairly. We get more guff from the vendor side than the client side.” Inside Job Should board members insinuate them- selves into the bidding process? Should they recommend their cousin or brother-in-law for a major capital improvement job or a reg- ular, on-going contract? It depends on where that recommendation is coming from. According to Schlossberg, “It has never happened in any building I manage, but hypothetically, if a board member recom- mended someone, we would let them bid—it would be up to the board whether they got the job. Board members come from all walks of life; some are engineers, and I would take THE BIDDING... continued from page 12 dating, adjusting, and amending to reflect the law and uphold residents’ rights. The takeaway here is that whether you approve or disapprove of any type of smoking, going smoke-free in your building or HOA is more complicated than simply drafting a rule; the type of community you live in has a great deal to do with how much unilateral power your board has to make such moves, and the rights of residents already living in the community must be taken into consideration as well. At the end of the day, whether you’re dealing with odor issues around smoke, or contem- plating a policy change for your community, do your homework and speak with your legal counsel so you don’t get lost in the haze. n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for Co- operatorNews, and a published novelist. See us at Booth 214