Book excerpt: A guide for facility managers of varying types of facilities including, apartment buildings/complexes, office buildings, retail stores, educational facilities (schools), restaurants, and countless others. It will look specifically at the physical similarities inherent in all buildings/facilities and delve into the operational/maintenance needs, access control, audit proceedures and emergency procedure requirements. It provides procedures and policy direction in facilities that are lacking such formalized doctrine and gives a starting point to run their facilities in a consistent manner with a focus on safety and security, as well as keeping control of liability risk.