By TJ Grim, Ready 2 Respond Trainer
When water damage occurs, the resolution often requires coordination across many teams. A single leak can impact facilities, maintenance, operations, IT, and leadership within minutes. Patient care areas, classrooms, apartments, labs, and offices all depend on coordinated decisions about access, drying process, safety, and timing.
In complex organizations, water events test more than equipment and response speed – they test how well departments coordinate under pressure. Most institutions already collaborate effectively on projects like renovations, inspections, safety planning, and emergency preparedness. Applying a similar approach and coordination to water damage response – especially in the first critical few minutes –determines whether an incident is contained quickly or becomes a prolonged disruption.
Collaboration Is Already Happening (and It’s Working)
Across sectors, R2R assessments consistently show that cross-department collaboration is a critical component of effective water damage response.
In most organizations, work order systems are designed to escalate issues quickly to the appropriate teams. Maintenance calls are routed quickly, and facilities staff respond with urgency. At one large university assessed by R2R, Facilities Operations and Building Services aligned their work order system and communications channels so first responders could assess water events within 10 to 20 minutes of notification, significantly limiting the spread of damage and reducing disruption.
This same collaborative foundation is evident across different environments:
- Hospitals coordinate facilities, environmental services, infection prevention, and clinical leadership to manage risk and maintain safe operations.
- Universities align housing, academic scheduling, and facilities teams to minimize disruption to students and faculty.
- Multi-family properties depend on close coordination between maintenance, property management, and residents to keep buildings functioning and occupants informed.
This level of teamwork is already an organizational strength. During water damage events, the key is activating it quickly and consistently.
Where Water Events Reveal the Gaps
If collaboration is common, why can water incidents still feel chaotic?
R2R assessments repeatedly point to the same challenge: inconsistent protocols. When each department responds based on its own habits, experience, or staffing patterns, response speed and quality can vary from building to building – even within the same organization.
Without standardized protocols:
- Teams escalate issues differently depending on who’s on duty.
- Decisions about closures and re-opening of affected spaces are inconsistent.
- Documentation and lessons learned during debriefing live in silos.
• Occupant health and safety decisions take longer than necessary.
In some cases, systems are working but aren’t connected to a unified response framework. Work order systems may be efficient, but water events aren’t tracked as incidents. Lessons learned are lost, patterns aren’t visible, and teams may miss opportunities to improve response over time.
When Collaboration Lacks a Shared Playbook
Strong collaboration can still fall short without alignment around tools, training, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
At one university assessed by R2R, the Building Services team created a mobile response van stocked with wet vacs and carpet extractors to support first responders. It was a smart, proactive move and a clear sign of cross-department initiative. But the equipment was undersized and inappropriate for larger extraction needs, and the van’s configuration made it difficult to safely load and unload equipment during an active response.
At the same time, an Environmental Manager was using professional-grade airmovers and dehumidifiers. The problem wasn’t effort – it was fragmentation. Without a unified drying system or shared training in the science of drying, teams lacked a consistent process for fully remediating and certifying affected spaces.
This is a common challenge – collaboration and initiative exist, but teams lack a shared playbook.
Turning Collaboration into a Coordinated Response System
The fastest recoveries happen when institutions build structure and standardization around the collaboration they already have. That structure doesn’t need to be complex, but it must be shared and easily accessible in high-pressure situations.
Organizations that respond most effectively to water damage typically have the following elements in place:
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SOPs for in-house water damage response, with clear steps that apply regardless of building or shift
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Defined roles for each first responder, including non-facilities staff involved in access, safety, and communications
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Coverage plans for nights, weekends, holidays, and staffing gaps
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Unified systems of drying equipment to reduce setup time and confusion
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Equipment management tools such as color-coding systems, mobile access, and Bluetooth/WiFi capabilities
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A clear method for tracking water events as incidents, not just work orders
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Centralized documentation of photos, moisture readings, and response timelines
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Regular review of water events to identify patterns and improve response
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Hands-on training for all first responders and team leaders (not just facilities staff)
When teams work from the same systems, response becomes repeatable rather than reactive – and teams respond more confidently and quickly.
Contact the R2R team for an assessment of in-house capabilities and assistance in developing a water response plan and team training program. For facility management tips, follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our Facility Insights newsletter.
Closing the Gaps Between Water Response Training and Readiness