Site and building pathways
Understand grading, roof drainage, parking areas, loading zones, below-grade spaces, sewers and critical openings.
- Site drainage review
- Building and plumbing systems
- Critical equipment and access
Commercial and institutional properties
Protect buildings, operations and continuity—not only basements.
RSM helps building owners, operators, property managers and facility teams connect site drainage, sewer backup, pumping, monitoring, emergency planning, maintenance records, procurement and recovery.
- Building-level planning
- Operational continuity
- Documented accountability
A building resilience plan has multiple layers
Technical systems must connect to people, records and decisions.
Operations and maintenance
Assign inspection, testing, recordkeeping, escalation and vendor responsibilities.
- Maintenance schedule
- Alarm response
- System access and records
Emergency and continuity
Protect people, critical services, data, inventory, equipment and the ability to operate.
- Emergency roles
- Business continuity
- Communication and recovery
Capital and procurement
Translate risk into scopes, priorities, budgets, qualified procurement and lifecycle decisions.
- Capital prioritization
- Vendor qualifications
- Quality assurance
Facility and property teams
Make ownership of each task explicit.
Commercial resilience often fails at the boundary between owner, tenant, property manager, facility team, contractor, consultant and insurer. A documented responsibility matrix prevents assumptions.
Training should address the decisions each role actually makes—from daily inspections to emergency escalation and capital approval.
Recovery for organizations
Prepare the evidence before an event occurs.
Maintain photographs, asset lists, maintenance records, insurance contacts, vendor agreements, emergency procedures and secure copies of critical documents.
After an event, follow life-safety instructions, notify insurers, document damage and decisions, preserve receipts and verify whether official assistance applies to the organization and location.
Strengthen an organization
Choose a building, workforce or programme action.
Commercial resilience requires technical, operational and organizational capability.
Frequently asked questions
Clarify commercial scope and responsibility.
What is a commercial flood resilience plan?
It is a documented approach to site and building risks, protective systems, maintenance, emergency roles, critical operations, vendor coordination, records, capital priorities and recovery.
Is commercial guidance only for large buildings?
No. It can be scaled for small businesses, retail units, offices, warehouses, institutional buildings, condominiums and multi-site portfolios.
Can DRAO help a business?
It may apply to eligible small owner-operated businesses, farms and not-for-profit organizations in activated areas. Current definitions, exclusions and documentation requirements must be checked with Ontario.
Does RSM perform engineering design?
RSM provides education, training and resources. Site-specific engineering and regulated professional services must be provided by appropriately qualified professionals.
Next steps
Build the property resilience pathway
Connect this topic to assessment, planning, maintenance and organizational learning.