BOMA/NY awarded NYC's OEM "Partner in Preparedness"

Throughout the decade that began with Y2K and 9/11, progressed through looming strikes and hurricanes, ongoing threats of terrorism and the new preparedness paradigm, and now grapples with the potential of an H1N1 pandemic, members of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater New York, Inc. (BOMA/NY) and the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) have literally worked alongside each other to ensure that both groups shared the best of information, cooperation and resources when planning for the preparedness of New York City. On September 14, aboard the USS Intrepid, OEM honored that decade of commitment and the working partnership it has forged with BOMA/NY by honoring the association with its Partners in Preparedness Award, which recognizes city partners that have "demonstrated outstanding commitment to disaster education and emergency preparedness." "Whenever we put out a call for assistance, BOMA/NY is among the first to answer that call," said OEM commissioner Joseph Bruno, in presenting the award to BOMA/NY president Angelo Grima. The award's emphasis on partnership had special meaning for BOMA/NY, explained Grima, "because our association positions itself as 'Your Partner in Success,'and that partnership extends to the groups with whom we share a common interest, OEM foremost among them. When our partnership is successful, our city is successful, and I believe the OEM model is the gold standard of information-sharing. We are proud to have accomplished so much together, and deeply honored by this award." Collaboration between OEM and BOMA/NY has taken many forms, from basic information exchange to participating on each group's committees and task forces, to OEM providing desk space for BOMA/NY at its command center - first at the World Trade Center and now in the new facility in Brooklyn. OEM members participate fully in the work of its preparedness committee and OEM was a major contributor to two highly successful BOMA/NY publications; one on planning responses to "Pandemic Flu" and the second on "Hi-Rise Drills for Building Staff," which found a national audience as well. Grima acknowledged the work done by the preparedness committee chair, Louis Trimboli, RPA/FMA of CBRE, BOMA/NY board liaison Mark Landstrom, RPA of Cogswell Realty, and Ira Tannenbaum of OEM and BOMA/NY preparedness committee member, pointing out that BOMA/NY's collaboration with OEM is done by "BOMA/NY members- industry professionals who volunteer their time because they believe in the work that we do together, and in partnering for the success of our City. Supporting them at our headquarters is our director of legislative affairs, Sylvester Giustino." Also being recognized were New York Cares and NYC's Department For the Aging.