Floor Captain's Duties:

Floor captains are key players in the Vertical Watch Program. They are the ones most in touch with residents and with the police. They are instrumental in making buildings safer.

When a floor captain visits the apartments on his or her floor, he or she should:

1.    Carry a Vertical Watch (or Neighbourhood Watch if that is all that is available) pamphlet at all times and prominently display a door sticker, to help explain the visit. Also, carry a New Members' Sheet, (see "exhibits"), for signing up new members.

2.    Once the floor captain has completed canvassing the floor, all the information that has been gathered should be forwarded to the chairperson. The chairperson transfers this information to a master membership list, and provides the floor captain with a copy of their floor's list. The names, apartment numbers and phone numbers of new members should be clearly printed by the floor captains. This helps avoid problems when transferring the information to the master list.

3.    Floor captains should try and visit every apartment on their floor, and make notes as they go along. For example, are residents disabled or elderly? Do they have health problems that might pose a threat to their well-being, or ability to take care of themselves -- frailty, or poor vision, for example? Do they speak a language other than English, and if so, what language? Will they need information translated into this language? Or would they be willing to translate for you? Are they having trouble with a neighbour? (If you receive complaints about a certain resident or residents, skip this unit until you learn more about the situation. If the complaints prove to be justified, floor captains should not confront the individual(s) involved, but immediately bring the situation to the attention of the chairperon, building management, and police.)

4.    Floor captains are goodwill ambassadors for the Vertical Watch Program. One of the most important things they do is spread the word about how the program works, and answer residents' questions about how it can help make the building a safer and more enjoyable place in which to live. Besides explaining how Vertial Watch can help prevent crime and vandalism, floor captains should convey how becoming a member of a Vertical Watch Program is a great way to meet other residents. Participating in the program also improves residents' knowledge of security, building managment, and the police.

5.    Floor captains should invite their neighbours to attend the next Vertical Watch meeting. Tell residents flyers detailing date, time, and place will be posted in advance of the meeting. Flyers should include an explanation of the goals of Vertical Watch and the nature of program meetings. If residents are unsure about attending a meeting by themselves, suggest that they bring a friend. This companion need not live in the building.

6.    If residents are hesitant to join, let them see the members' list that you are carrying. (Please do not show the phone numbers though.)This shows them that there are others participating in the program.

7.    The Highlight Sheet, which provides a rundown on some of the more important benefits of
Vertical Watch, can be useful in overcoming people's misgivings about joining. Floor captains should always carry copies of this sheet with them when they tour their floors. A sample Highlight Sheet appears in the "exhibits" section.

8.    Floor captains should give their name and phone number to all Vertical Watch members on their floor. Floor captains are there to help -- to listen to concerns and to answer questions -- but they are not the first person a resident should call in the event of a problem. Residents who believe there is a security situation or safety concern should phone the building's security personnel, or, if warranted, the police. In the case of an emergency, residents should always call 911. (Building security should always be told about emergencies, even if it is the police, fire department or ambulance service who respond. This way incidents are recorded and forwarded to management. Besides keeping management in touch with what is happening in the buiding, such records can be useful when preparing a case against troublemakers.) Another important point is if there is an emergency, security may be able to help while you are waiting for your emergency response. Most security personnel are trained in c.p.r. and emergency response techniques. Tell residents to notify floor captains about incidents they report to the authorities, as well as the outcome of calls to security, police and other emergency response services. The floor captains should share such information with their chairperson.

9.    Once half the building residents join Vertical Watch, the police will provide door stickers for each member. Floor captains are responsible for getting these stickers from the chairperson, and for distributing them to the members on their floor. Members should be encouraged to place the stickers on the outside of their front doors, above their apartment numbers. These stickers tell criminals and troublemakers that you and your neighbours are watching out for each other.

10.    Floor captains are responsible for distributing newsletters, meeting notices, surveys and other Vertical Watch materials to members on their floor. These materials should be distributed within two days of receiving them.

11.    When people move in, wait about a month before welcoming them and asking them to join the Vertical Watch Program. This gives the newcomers a chance to settle in. This period is also an opportunity for the floor captain to determine if the new neighbours are suitable candidates for membership. If, for example, these new people have a constant stream of visitors at all hours, or they frequently receive parcel deliveries, it may be a cause for concern. Such activities should be carefully monitored, and the situation brought to the attention of the chairperson. Until the outcome of this investigation is clear, no approach to join should be extended. When new residents do join the program, the floor captain must update the members' list and inform the chairperson, so he/she can revise the master membership list.

12.    Any police request for assistance (in looking for a lost child, for example), should immediately trigger calls to other Vertical Watch members, asking for their help. Floor captains should ask one or two members who they trust to contact others in the building instead of trying to reach everyone directly themselves. This is both faster and more effective. With many residents aware of a lost child, the entire building can be thoroughly searched in no time at all.

13.    Floor captains should give each new Vertical Watch member the phone number for security in their building. They should also provide the phone number for the local police. (The Metropolitan Toronto Police phone number is 808-2222)

14.    Once a week the floor captain should telephone the chairperson, and bring him or her up to date on what is happening on the floor. The call should be made, even if there is nothing of significance to report. Moves, vacations, illnesses and deaths involving residents should all be reported, in addition to any problems.

15.    Once the Vertical Watch Program is established, the floor captains workload is minimal. Distributing newsletters, surveys, etc. is a ten-minute job, once a month, if that. Attending the monthly floor captain meetings, which normally run one to two hours, is usually the greatest commitment in terms of time. Occasionally, floor captains are asked to volunteer to help with special events, such as open houses or meetings involving guest speakers.

INFORMATION SHARED AT FLOOR CAPTAIN MEETINGS IS CONFIDENTIAL, AND IS NEVER REPEATED OUTSIDE THE MEETINGS. This rule helps protect both the floor captains and also residents who may be the subject of discussions.