Preparing for winter in New England is always a dicey proposition. We have an idea of what’s in store, but Mother Nature can throw us a curveball like in the non- winter of 2012 or the winter of 2015 that most of us would like to forget. This year is no different. Early predictions from the “Farmer’s Almanac” called for a repeat of last year, but recent weather trends are suggesting otherwise. This is an El Nino year which means we could be in store for higher temperatures. Many are calling for wetter conditions and the potential for ice storms which can result in power outages, so lining up back up power for this season is recommended. We also had a warm November. Historically, we don’t have a lot of snow in years when November temps are warmer than average. These two phenomena taken together make the likelihood of back to back 100” snow falls improbable. We all still remember the winter of 2015 and are doing everything we can to get ready for 2016 and our natural inclination is to look back. Last winter heavy snow and frigid temperatures resulted in ice dams on thousands of homes and businesses throughout New England. These losses can be particularly problematic for facility professionals and home owners alike because of their protracted nature. They are different from another common cold weather occurrence like frozen pipes. When you have frozen pipes you shut off the water, call the plumber-fix the pipe, contact the restoration provider to dry you out, and you are good to go…done! Not so with ice dams which are on-going. The first step toward eliminating ice dams is clearing the roof of ice and snow. Last year successive snow storms stretched contractor’s thin making finding them and scheduling service a challenge. Ice dams only form when specific weather patterns occur…heavy repeated snow storms and long periods of frigid weather. It is possible, but unlikely we will have a repeat of this type of catastrophe this year. Last year created other unique challenges for property professionals. The extreme weather produced emergencies throughout the region. Everyone needed service at the same time. Some vendors shut off their phones and would not take new assignments. Many home owners who sustained ice dams did not know what to do and could not find contractors to help them. And the unique nature of ice dam losses set up unrealistic expectations for service timelines. Steve Gilmore at ServiceMaster by Gilmore realized we would need a multi-faceted approach to get our customers the service they needed.  He brought the entire marketing and sales staff in off the road for 12 weeks to answer all incoming calls immediately. The office remained open 7 days a week and crews often operated around the clock. Our team provided information on ‘what to do until help arrives’. We also supplied updates by sending out e-blasts, gave interviews to the Associated Press and ran radio spots to give our customers the latest information. In addition we provided contractor referrals for commercial and residential customers. We brought in more qualified manpower by hosting ServiceMaster Restore and SRM partners from eight states nationally to assist in responding quickly. So what do we do to prepare?  We are in the disaster restoration business and have to be ready for a variety of emergencies which can occur any time throughout the year such as water, fire, soot and mold damage.  Property and facility managers and homeowners are no different and are gearing up for a variety of potential issues that could affect their properties. Ask any facility professional their advice on the best way to prevent failures and they will tell you to maintain systems and keep up with capital improvements. Although frozen pipes and ice dams are weather related, many kinds of damage is not. Even well maintained buildings can be affected by human error. Losses can happen after routine upkeep to mechanicals during maintenance checks. None of us can loss proof our building, but we can reduce the likelihood of damage by managing things in our control: • Interview vendors and subcontractors before you need them, most of them have priority programs that you can sign up for to get immediate service during the busy times. • Update emergency chain of command and notification protocols within the company at least annually. • Develop an emergency response plan and make sure everyone understands their role. • Inform residents and tenants of emergency procedures. • Maintain existing systems. • Keep up with capital improvements. • Secure back up power in case of widespread power outages. • Keep trees and shrubs pruned to reduce the chance frozen limbs could take down power lines. • Make sure vendors cross check procedures when performing routine system maintenance. • Review your insurance coverage with your broker or carrier. • Have your disaster restoration firm on speed dial. Living in New England, the one thing we can count on is that winter is unpredictable. Getting ready to face a variety of issues is our best bet for successfully navigating this season. Facility and restoration professionals are in the business of service. Our customers count on us to be there with a solution for any potential issue that arises. So prepare and then be calm…we are New Englanders.  This is not our first rodeo and come what may, we will be ready! Sarah LaFleur Friedman is director of marketing at Service Master by Gilmore, Framingham, Mass.