'Safe Room' Packages Developing For South Fork Clients

In the case of an emergency, one solution might be to get a room.

That would be a safe room—typically one invulnerable to disaster or attack, with walls made of concrete, polymer or another material that is waterproof and more damage-resistant than wood. Safe rooms are designed to provide comfort and security when severe storms hit or when a man-made disaster strikes.

For the last four years, a team at Survivability Services International in Bridgehampton has been developing a safe room package for South Fork residents that includes not only construction of the room, but training in how to use it properly. The company also offers continued protection, support and maintenance after the safe room is installed.

Frank Dalene, one of the company’s co-founders and president of the Telemark construction company, said geography plays a part in local demand. “We thought about the East End here, with 1,500 miles of coastline. With increasing ocean temperatures, you have storms of greater magnitude,” Mr. Dalene said. “This whole idea actually began being formulated two years before Sandy hit. So, when Sandy hit, it all of the sudden became relevant.”

Designed by architects, safe rooms can either be attached to a home, above-ground, or integrated into a basement. Mr. Dalene’s clients can choose from generic, prefabricated models or take part in the design process and help customize a room to fit their needs. Matt Kochanasz, another co-founder of Survivability Services, said that interested parties first receive a risk assessment from the company in which they identify exactly why they want a safe room before moving on to the building process.

Southampton-based architect John David Rose has already designed a handful of safe rooms in this area, he said. Many of his clients use the rooms to store valuables, but Mr. Rose agreed with Mr. Dalene that homeowners have different reasons for wanting such a structure in their homes, if they want one at all.

“It’s more about, does the client feel they need it,” Mr. Rose said. “A lot of clients don’t give it much thought. We’re out in the Hamptons, and a lot of times that’s one of the last things on their mind.”

Mr. Dalene and Mr. Kochanasz said safe rooms not only protect individuals during hazardous weather situations like blizzards or hurricanes, but also can provide a comforting, temporary environment in the case of a mass shooting or an attack. Safe rooms can be designed to look exactly like a living room, complete with electricity, bathroom facilities and a satellite feed for television. The only difference is that, because the room has no windows, an air scrubber needs to be installed to ensure clean air in the room.

“If you’re home in your own familiar environment, you’re prepared to deal with things much better without risk,” Mr. Kochanasz said. “This is not a long-term safe room where you’d be in there for six months to a year,” he said of the rooms his company provides, which can be incorporated into a new or existing house. “But at least you’re within your own home.”

The protection does come at a price: A safe room package that Survivability Services International plans to put on the market soon—the company is in talks with a few potential clients, Mr. Dalene said—could cost as much as a couple of hundred thousand dollars.

“With a wealthy clientele here, they may want to be the first ones to be rescued, and they can afford it, and that’s the service that we provide,” Mr. Kochanasz said, explaining that protection is key. “Our goal is to have their life the least amount affected. There is no other company in the U.S. that’s doing what we’re doing. That’s the training part, the construction of the safe rooms, and the protection part.”

Survivability Services International’s sole mission is to provide residents with all the tools needed to increase survivability in the case of a disaster. It also has a store tucked away on Maple Lane in Bridgehampton, that sells items such as medical kits, flashlights and batteries, goggles, industrial coolers, tactical clothing and armor in addition to shotguns and rifles.

“With the increase of threats that we hear about all the time, the concern is greater and greater every day,” Mr. Dalene said. “Whatever it is that’s going to affect us out here, we have to be prepared to deal with it, temporarily.”