Shop Closure and Emergency Response

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This policy outlines the response to bad weather or other situations which pose a hazard to staff, volunteer, and/or members traveling to and from the shop or being safe inside the shop.

Your Safety Comes First. If at any pointtime ayou tech,feel volunteer,unsafe traveling to, from, or staff member feels it is unsafe to travel to/from the shop or remainbeing in the shop, theydo arewhat encouragedyou need to take appropriate actions to keep themselvesstay safe.

However, these actionsYou must beimmediately communicatedpost ASAPyour decision toin the #techs Discord channel (or otheranother highly visible space,team andspace). NOT
Do not just directlytell one person.

Core Principles

• Who Decides to anClose? individual.At Ifleast atone all possible, the decision to reduceStaff or closeBoard shop hoursmember must be madeinvolved withfor theany involvementchange ofto volunteershop leadshours.
• In an Emergency: If you can’t reach Staff/Board after trying Discord, DMs, and staffphone -calls, seeuse Shopyour Closurebest below.judgment to protect everyone’s safety.
• Communication is Critical.
   All decisions must be posted publicly.

HazardousWhen ConditionsShould We Consider Closing?

We may close the shopClose or reduce hours toif ensureany volunteer,of staff,these andhazards member safety for hazardous conditions such as:exist:

• TravelDangerous conditionstravel (visibility,ice, icedeep onsnow, roads,poor snow buildup etc.) elevate the risk of accidents / getting stuck when traveling to/from the shopvisibility).
• ConditionsUnsafe conditions at the shop are(icy hazardouswalkways, toblocked individuals entering/being in/leaving the shop (e.g. ice on sidewalks, excessive snow blocking entrance/emergency exits)
• Conditions at the shop are hazardous to vehicles entering/parked in/leaving thedoors/exits, parking lot (e.g. excessive snow and ice buildup, heavy hail in the forecast etc.)hazards).
• SevereExpected weatherloss is expected to degradeof power, water, or HVAC.
• A breakdown at the shop (e.g. severe thunderstorms, high winds, extreme heat/cold) 
• Shop facilities have suddenly broken or degraded in a way which is unsafe (e.g. power outage, water leak/outage, gas leak, fire or other emergency)flood).
• Sudden losslack of shop tech coverage in the shop (epidemic/illness, shock from medical or emergency event)
• Other anticipated or sudden threats to the health and safety of people in the shop (e.g., bombdue threat,to pandemic,illness).
active
• Any threat/intruder)other direct threat (e.g., intruder, extreme weather event).

Shop Closure

For any action that affects the hours of operation, at least one staff or board member must be involved in the decision.

In urgent situations (sudden change of weather within 4 "business hours") if there is no response from any board/staff member despite postsHow to Discord,Close DMs,– and calls to staff/board via the emergency escalation chain, then proceed with whatever you believe is needed to keep people safe.

Step-by-Step

Delayed StartOpening / Early CloseClosure / Full Closure(Planned)

If morning/evening hours must be reduced, take the following steps:

1. Ask board/staffStaff/Board to decide on closure or educed hours. Common reducednew hours are(e.g., 10am-4pm (AM shift only) for evening hazardshazards, andor 12pm-6pm (AMfor late start).
2. A Lead or PMStaff shiftmember attending)must:
   1. Check the tech calendar for recoveryaffected fromshifts.
   overnight
   2. Post hazards.the decision in #techs, @-mentioning every affected tech by name
3. SelectA a volunteer lead, board, or staffStaff/Board member to check the techs calendar to identify the shop techs whose shifts will be impacted by the change, then post on #techs and @-mention all of them by name with the decision.
4. Select a board or staff member to bebecomes the "Incident Commander" (see below).

Emergency Closure – Close Immediately

1. Delegate these tasks inside the shop:
   • Person 1: Alert everyone inside to leave.
   • Person 2: Post signs at the front and haveparking themlot readentrances.
   • Person 3: Watch the front door to inform anyone trying to enter.
2. A Staff/Board member becomes the "Incident Commander" sectionto below.manage next steps.

Emergency

The Closure

Incident Commander’s (IC) Checklist

IfYour closurejob is neededto withincoordinate, thenot samedo day,everything. takeDelegate thetasks followingto stepsspecific (people.

skippingAs anySoon stepsAs whichYou areTake unsafeCharge:):

1. Select one person

   Post in the building to alert all individuals currently in the shop of the change#techs and when#leadership: they“I needam to leave.

2. Select one person in the building to watch the front entrance and notify peopleacting as they enter the building.
3. Select one person in the building to post a sign at the front entrance and parking lot entrance notifying of the closure
4. Select a board or staff member to be the "Incident Commander"Commander. and determine whether extended closure is needed (see below)

Incident Commander

This section is guidance for the incident commander ("IC"). As incident commander, you are responsible for the following in order of importance:

1. Ensure everyone is safe
2. Ensure everyone knows what's going on
3. Ensure everyone knows who is responding, in what role, and what actions they're taking
4. Ensure everyone knows when the incident is over
5. Ensure a retrospective (i.e. "postmortem") is written for the incident - see this guide

Delegation is key. Do not attempt to do everything yourself. Always delegate to an individual, not to a group.

When you assume the role of IC, immediately do the following:

1. Announce your new role on the Discord #techs and #leadership channels and to any other individuals involved. Include a link[Link to this wiki pagepage].”
   so folks know what's going on.
2. Select

   Delegate someone to post in #general (@Members) with closure time, duration, and reason.

3. Delegate a volunteer lead, board, or staffStaff member to postemail toall themembers #generalvia discordNeon channelCRM.

   and include @Members to notify everyone of the time of closure, duration of closure, and reason for closure.
4. Select

   Name a board or staff member to email "All Current Members" via Neon CRM's email campaign interface with notification of the current and future state of the shop.

5. Identify, then announce a secondarybackup person as the point of contact if you are not reachable.

As you respond to the incident:

1. When you expect to be not reachable, let folks know. If you won't be available for an extended period, hand off the role to the secondarya point of contact.

During the Incident:

• EnsurePrioritize youthe areimmediate communicatingsafety with volunteers,of staff, board,volunteers, and members. 
• Stay

  Communicate clearly and often - especially via #techs and #general on topDiscord.

  of
closure
• announcements,

  Announce proactivelywhen thinkyou’ll aboutbe unavailable and hand off your role as needed.

• Plan ahead for when the shop willcan return to normal operation (hours? days?)reopen, and anticipateanticipate/announce howextended that will affect shop tech shiftsclosures and memberdelays.

  usage
of

After the shop.Incident:

• When the incident is over:

  1. Write a brief "postmortem" report.

  2. Schedule a postmortem review with Leads and scheduleStaff.

     a meeting with board, staff, and volunteer leads to review the document.

Snow,Specific Hail,Weather Guidance

Snow and Ice

Storms

Snow

• <1” overof snow/Light ice: Consider a delayed start to clear and salt walkways, steps, and all emergency exits.
• >1-2"2” of snow / “Black Ice”: High risk. Likely need delayed opening or freezingclosure. "blackShop ice"Manager conditionsmust can prevent volunteers from getting tonotify the shopsnowplow tocontractor.
• 6+” forecast: Expect multi-day disruptions and/or closure.

ALL EMERGENCY EXITS MUST REMAIN USABLE IF THE SHOP IS OPEN. The front door, the forge/parking lot door, rear maintenance corner, and rear woodshop corner all open up,outwards and createmust excessivenot riskbe toblocked membersby tryingsnow toand/or enter/leaveice. the

shop.

Heavy snowstorms - even when expected - have overwhelmed Pittsburgh snowplows and emergency responders for up to a week after the weather has ended.

Hail and& iceIce storms in Pittsburgh are generally brief; however, they can cause substantial damage to outdoor people and things. 

Storms:

• LightRarely snowrequires upfull toclosure 1"if mayroads requireare a delayed start to give techs the chance to clear the parking lot, entryway and emergency exits. Salt should be spread with special attention to all stairs/steps to prevent accidents.safe.
• OurDO agreementwarn witheveryone avia local snowplow contractor requires us to give them notice before they clear the driveway/entryway. If 1" or more of snow or icy conditions are expected, we should call them in (the Shop Manager is the point of contact for this).
  
• When there's 6" or more snow forecast within a 24h period, expect continual disruption to shop hours over the next several days.
• If the forecast causes for hail but will not result in icy / hazardous road conditions, follow the notification steps under "Shop Closure" but do not close the shop. Make sure members, volunteers and staff know when hail is likelyDiscord so they can take appropriate precautions to not hurtprotect themselves orand their property (e.g., cars).

Emergency

Heavy exitsRain (the& frontFlooding:

door,

• Sudden burst: Usually no closure needed. Post a warning and monitor.
• Extended heavy rain / flooding forecast: Consider delayed start or early closure. >2” of standing water in the forge/parking lot door,is rear maintenance corner, and rear woodshop corner)  MUST BE ABLE TO OPEN OUTWARDS IF THE SHOP IS NOT CLOSED. The paths immediately outside them must be shoveled and saltedhazardous to ensurevehicles.
members can exit in emergencies.  

Heavy Rain, Severe Thunderstorms and Flooding

Flooding has occurred in our parking lot and on the street in the past (see this Discord message from July 2025). All rain on our roof drains via interior columns into the underground sewer system; when this system overflows, it comes out of the central drain gate in the parking lot and the curbside drain near the entrance to the parking lot. As little as 2 inches of standing water can cause cars to lose traction and begin to hydroplane.

• If a sudden burst of rain is expected or happens, the resultant flooding is usually short-lived and does not require closing the shop. However, notice should be posted on Discord and staff/board should be notified so they can monitor the situation.
• If extended heavy rain is forecast that could affect driving conditions or lead to extended flooding, board and staff should consider a delayed start or early closure for evening/overnight rains, or a full closure for catastrophic flooding.