Here’s a cheery question to start your day: if a fire broke out in your building tonight, or a storm took out the power for three days, would your committee have the faintest idea what to do?

If the honest answer is “we’d probably stand around in the car park arguing,” you’re not alone – and there’s now a free fix for exactly that problem in a couple of webinars hosted by the Owners Corporation Network (OCN).

An emergency plan is basically a script for the worst day your building will ever have. It gives your committee clear, step-by-step procedures for dealing with anything that threatens life, safety, property, the environment or those essential systems we all take for granted until they stop working.

The bonus is that a good plan also speeds up recovery afterwards, keeps disruption to a minimum, and – music to any treasurer’s ears – reduces liability for the owners corporation.

Need a reminder of why this isn’t just box-ticking? Go and watch the footage of the Surry Hills building fire from three years ago. We’ll wait. It tends to focus the mind.

Normally, getting an emergency plan drawn up means hiring someone and watching the dollars disappear. Not this time.

The Owners Corporation Network (OCN), backed by the City of Sydney, has built a toolkit that walks any scheme – in any state or territory – through the whole thing with guided tools and a workshop. No consulting fees, just expert hand-holding from people who know what they’re talking about.

From signing up to walking away with a finished plan, you’re looking at roughly five hours all up. One person can do the lot on behalf of the scheme, or you can rope in a group of keen owners and share the load – entirely up to your building.

Any committee member, anywhere in the country, can take part. It’s completely free. The only thing OCN asks in return is that you actually finish what you start – a genuine commitment to see the programme through.

There are two online workshops on offer so you can pick whichever suits your diary:

Workshop One: Tuesday 9 June 2026 at 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM AEST. Online via Zoom. REGISTER HERE (FREE)

Workshop Two: Friday 19 June 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM AEST. Online via Zoom  REGISTER HERE (FREE)

If you’re a service provider, advocate or policy adviser working anywhere near emergency planning in strata, OCN would love to hear from you too. Drop them a line at ad***@*****rg.au.

Coming up next: the great e-mobility question

Meanwhile their next webinar tackles the topic that’s quietly causing arguments in committee meetings everywhere: e-mobility devices. Scooters, hoverboards, e-bikes: what’s safe to have in an apartment building?

A guest from Fair Trading will unpack the regulation changes and what they mean if you (or your neighbours) already own one of these things, with practical tips from Bicycle NSW on living safely alongside the gear you’ve already got.