Commercial glass fails at the worst possible times. A storefront breaks after closing on a Friday night. A curtainwall lite cracks during a named storm. A vehicle impacts a retail front at 2 AM. The response sequence in the first 24 hours determines whether the outcome is a quick, insured repair or a multi-week disruption that damages inventory, creates security exposure, and generates avoidable cost. This article walks through the six-step emergency protocol Florida commercial property managers and GCs should follow when commercial glass fails: secure the area, board up the opening, document for insurance, call a licensed commercial glazier, get written scope and price, and manage the replacement through closeout. Each step is time-sensitive, and getting them in the right order saves significant money and downtime.
The Six-Step Emergency Protocol
Step 1: Secure People and Close Off the Area
Before anything else, make sure no one is at risk of injury from broken glass or from further failure of adjacent panes. Clear the immediate area of occupants and foot traffic, establish a perimeter around the opening, and keep it clear until the opening is secured. On ground-floor retail, this means closing off the sidewalk or storefront walkway. On upper floors, this may mean evacuating the floor below if the lite is broken above.
On multi-lite failures — where more than one opening has broken simultaneously — adjacent lites may also be compromised. Treat the facade as potentially unstable until inspected by a licensed glazier.
Step 2: Board Up the Opening
For openings under 40 SF, a plywood board-up is typical. 3/4 inch plywood cut to the opening size, screwed to the frame perimeter with Tapcons, and sealed with a temporary gasket is the standard approach. The board-up should be weatherproof enough to survive a rain event until permanent replacement is installed — which may be days to weeks depending on glass lead time.
Most commercial glaziers offer board-up service, including ACG. Material and labor are invoiced separately from the eventual replacement work, though the board-up cost is typically reimbursable under the commercial property insurance claim.
For larger openings — broken curtainwall lites, sliding glass door systems, Eurowall folding walls — board-up may require framed plywood assemblies, temporary steel stud openings, or custom-fit panels. These run higher cost and longer response time. Send photos and dimensions to the glazier for an accurate dispatch.
Step 3: Document Damage for Insurance
Before the board-up or during it, document the damage thoroughly for the insurance claim. Required documentation:
- Photos of the broken opening from multiple angles (exterior, interior, close-up of fracture pattern)
- Video walk-through if possible
- Photos of any interior damage (water infiltration, debris impact on contents, inventory damage)
- Photos of the crack pattern specifically — insurance adjusters and forensic investigators sometimes use the pattern to validate the cause
- Date, time, and circumstances of the failure in a written note
- Police report number if the damage is vandalism or vehicular
- Any witness statements on how the damage occurred
On storm-damage claims, documentation should include the named storm reference, wind speed at the site from a credible source (NWS or airport weather station), and any debris that may have caused the impact.
Step 4: Call a Licensed Commercial Glazier — Not a Homeowner Glass Company
This step matters more than property managers often realize. A residential glass company may respond faster at 2 AM — they have the after-hours operations infrastructure — but commercial glazing is not their typical scope. Four reasons to specifically call a licensed commercial glazing sub:
- Product approval / NOA requirements. Replacement glass on a Florida commercial building must match the original Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA. A residential glazier may not have access to the specific product approved for the system.
- System-specific knowledge. ESWindows ES-8000, Eurowall, ESWindows, and ESWindows systems each have specific glazing gasket details, glazing bead types, and replacement procedures. Wrong gasket or wrong bead creates warranty and performance problems.
- CGC license for commercial permit pull. Florida commercial glass replacement above certain size thresholds requires a permit pulled by a CGC-licensed contractor. Residential glass companies typically don't hold CGC licensure.
- Insurance claim alignment. Commercial insurance adjusters are used to working with commercial glazing subs. Replacement scopes from commercial glaziers align with adjuster expectations on documentation and pricing.
See why hire a licensed commercial glazier for the full license discussion. ACG's emergency response line (772-486-7711) dispatches commercial glazing crews to board up and assess.
Step 5: Get Written Scope and Price
Within 24–48 hours of the initial board-up, the commercial glazier should provide a written scope and price for the replacement work. Scope should include:
- Specific glass spec: thickness, composition (laminated impact or equivalent to original), coatings, dimensions
- Framing repair or replacement if the failure also damaged the frame
- Hardware replacement if the failure affected locks, closers, or operators
- Permit scope and expected lead time
- Glass fabrication lead time (custom commercial sizes typically 2–6 weeks; stock sizes sometimes 3–10 days)
- Installation date
- Itemized pricing with separate lines for board-up, fabrication, install, permit, and any crane or lift rental
- Payment terms and insurance billing arrangements if applicable
Lead time is the biggest variable. Custom-size laminated impact glass in a specific low-E configuration may take 3–6 weeks to fabricate through ESWindows or a comparable manufacturer. Emergency expediting can sometimes reduce that to 2–3 weeks with rush fabrication premiums. Stock-size standard specs can sometimes be sourced from regional distributors within days.
Step 6: Manage the Replacement Through Closeout
While fabrication is running, the board-up is in place and the opening is secured. Coordinate:
- Install-day logistics (lift access, staging, after-hours or weekend install if tenant operations require)
- Insurance adjuster visit if required
- Final invoicing and warranty documentation at closeout
- Update to the building's closeout binder with replacement documentation
Typical Emergency Costs
| Item | Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board-up (small opening, under 40 SF) | By scope | Includes after-hours premium |
| Board-up (large opening, 40–100 SF) | By scope | Includes framing if needed |
| Board-up (curtainwall section, 100+ SF) | By scope | Often requires lift; custom framing |
| Rush fabrication premium on impact glass | By scope | To expedite from 6 weeks to 2–3 |
| Crane or boom lift rental (upper floor install) | By scope | Depends on reach and duration |
| Standard replacement install labor | By scope | On top of glass material cost |
| Permit pull and inspection | By scope | Jurisdiction-dependent |
Emergency response cost, board-up, and permanent replacement are usually all reimbursable. Keep all receipts and scope documents for the claim.
Why Emergency Commercial Glass Is Different from Residential
Three factors make emergency commercial replacement inherently slower and more expensive than residential:
- Custom sizing. Commercial openings are typically custom-fabricated to the specific opening. There's no standard stock size for a 12-foot-wide storefront lite. Fabrication runs on the factory's commercial queue.
- Product approval documentation. The replacement glass must match the original product approval. Substituting to a different product requires re-permitting and re-engineering, which adds weeks.
- Access and install complexity. Upper-floor commercial replacement often requires crane sets, permit for street closure, and after-hours work to avoid tenant disruption.
Pre-Planning: What Smart Property Managers Do
The difference between a 3-week emergency and a 10-week emergency is often pre-planning. Practical moves:
- Keep a copy of the original glazing submittal binder — product approval numbers, glass specs, frame specs — accessible to the facility manager
- Establish a relationship with a licensed commercial glazier before an emergency, so the first call is to a known partner, not a stranger
- Know your insurance policy's glass coverage, deductible, and claim contact in advance
- For buildings with high-value or unusual glazing, consider holding a small attic stock of replacement lites (common on high-end hospitality and Class-A office)
- Pre-negotiate emergency response rates so after-hours calls aren't a pricing surprise
Storm-Specific Protocol
During and immediately after a named storm, commercial glazing demand spikes. Response times extend, material availability tightens, and contractor capacity saturates. Property owners who had an existing relationship with a commercial glazier typically get prioritized; new callers wait. This is a practical reason to establish the relationship before storm season — the alternative is calling 15 contractors in the 48 hours after a hurricane and hoping someone has capacity.
See how impact windows protect your business for the impact-glazing baseline that reduces emergency exposure in the first place.
Emergency Response Through ACG
ACG provides emergency commercial glass response across Florida from offices in West Palm Beach, Naples, and Tampa. The 24-hour line is (772) 486-7711 for board-up and assessment on commercial scopes. Replacement scopes go through the bid portal with expedited fabrication where available on ESWindows products. New construction projects, which avoid most emergency scenarios through proper impact glazing spec from the start, flow through the new construction glazing workflow. Owners and GCs in West Palm Beach, Tampa, and across Florida can reach ACG any hour. CGC-licensed (CGC1531993), 350+ projects, 1M+ SF installed, 5+ years active commercial-only practice.