In the unfortunate event that you do experience a household emergency, the pressing question is: who do you call?  “It is a tricky topic,” says Lauretta Kaechele, BA, CPM, Vice President of Emerald Management and Realty, and currently President of the Southern Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Condominium Institute. “It really depends on what services you get from your management company and what your obligations are with respect to the bylaws.” She says that if you are unsure as to whom to call, then your best bet is to contact your management company or if your building is self managed, the emergency contact on the board of directors.  “They will dispatch a service provider to deal with your issue or give you a list of service providers to call.” 

Protocol, however, can vary from management company to management company and may also be different from situation to situation.  A good rule of thumb to go by is this: if the issue impacts other homes or there is an insurance claim, then contact the management company.

Protocol also differs in an apartment style condominium versus a townhouse condominium.  Services like heat, power and water are all tied into one main system in an apartment style condominium, whereas in a townhouse they are separate.  “If you are in a townhouse and have no heat or power then call Atco Gas or ENMAX.  Atco will come and restart your gas fireplace or furnace for free,”  says Kaechele. “If you are in an apartment style condo, then call the management company and they will call the appropriate service provider.”

Common sense plays a big part in preventing household challenges and Kaechele can’t stress enough the importance of keeping windows closed in the winter.  “I’ve seen it so many times,” she says.  “People  open their windows when the weather is nice and forget about them.  Then they go away for the weekend and the weather changes. They come back to frozen pipes.”
Signs of a frozen pipe include extremely cold water in the tap and toilets and no access to hot water.   “In this case, the first thing that you would want to do is shut the water off and then call the management company, “ says Kaechele. She recommends not using a blow dryer on frozen pipes until you have talked to a plumber.

She cites an example that occurred in a townhome during the cold snap at the end of November 2006. It transpired during a transition in ownership.  The previous owners moved out ten days before the new owners took possession.  The weather was nice and in their wisdom they turned down the heat.  The weather took a dramatic change for the worse and the main water line froze. “Water started showing up in two other units down the block. It was pouring into their garages,” says Kaechele. “We called the fire department to shut off the main water supply and sent out a plumber and a water clean up company.”

 For peace of mind , it is best to be prepared.  “Keep a list of emergency numbers by the phone and know where your water shut off valve is,” says Kaechele.  Assemble an emergency kit together in case of power outages and remember that a power outage may also affect your heat. Place smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in strategic places throughout your home and maintain them regularly. Practice an emergency evacuation procedure in case of fire.  Kaechele also suggests reviewing the section in your bylaws headed Owners Obligations. “It will tell you exactly what you are responsible for maintaining.” 

For more information on emergency procedures, check out these websites:

For power outages and preparing for interruptions visit http://www.enmax.com. Click on ENMAX Power. Then click on the sidebar topic entitled Outages: Who to Call.

For fire precautions and safety tips visit http://www.calgary.ca/fire.

For gas safety tips and emergency contact information visit http://www.atcogas.com and click on safety.