Many buildings have robust power and network systems, but when those systems falter the most overlooked capability is reliable internal communications: reaching tenants, coordinating staff, and controlling systems when phones, cellular, or cloud services are degraded. In this episode Alex Morgan interviews Michael Harrington about pragmatic ways to design resilient in‑building emergency communications that actually work during partial outages. They examine common failure modes (carrier loss, Wi‑Fi blackouts, internal network congestion), tradeoffs between centralized mass‑notification, local paging, and radio or visual alert systems, and the simple operational habits that reduce confusion during incidents. Michael shares real-world examples where modest redundancies, clear ownership, message templates, and short drills cut response times and tenant frustration. Listeners will get a one‑page checklist and practical options to evaluate today — low‑cost redundancies, ownership rules, and testing rhythms that improve safety and business continuity without overengineering.