7.3 Emergency Procedures: Fire Alarm Response, Evacuations & Bomb Threats

Emergency Procedures: Fire Alarm Response, Evacuations & Bomb Threats

Core Principle: In critical emergencies, panic multiplies casualties. Professional security guards provide calm, structured leadership during high-stress crises. Mastering fire combustion dynamics, building alarm systems, evacuation logistics for persons requiring assistance, and bomb threat standoff protocols transforms a chaotic disaster into an orderly, life-saving response.

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Fire Safety Fundamentals: The Fire Triangle & Tetrahedron

To effectively prevent and combat fires, security guards must understand the chemical and thermodynamic principles that govern combustion.

The Fire Triangle vs. Fire Tetrahedron

Historically, fire was described by the Fire Triangle, which identified three essential components required for combustion to occur:

1. Fuel: Any combustible or flammable material (solid, liquid, or gas);
2. Heat: Sufficient thermal energy to raise the fuel to its ignition or flash point;
3. Oxygen: Sufficient oxidizing agent (ambient air contains approximately 21% oxygen; combustion typically requires at least 16% oxygen).

Modern fire science recognizes the Fire Tetrahedron, which introduces a fourth critical element: the Uninhibited Chemical Chain Reaction. Combustion is a self-sustaining exothermic reaction where vaporized fuel molecules continuously react with oxygen radicals. Fire extinguishment relies on removing or neutralizing at least one of these four components:

• Cooling (Remove Heat): Applying water or water-based agents lowers fuel temperature below its ignition threshold.
• Smothering (Remove Oxygen): Displacing air using carbon dioxide (CO2), mechanical foams, or nitrogen blankets deprives the fire of oxygen.
• Starving (Remove Fuel): Shutting off fuel gas supply valves, pumping away flammable liquids, or clearing combustible brush removes the fuel source.
• Interruption (Stop Chain Reaction): Applying dry chemical powders (e.g., monoammonium phosphate) or clean agent gases interrupts free-radical chain reactions in the flame zone.

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Fire Classifications and Extinguishing Agents

Fires are grouped into five standardized classes in North America based on the physical properties of the fuel involved. Selecting the correct extinguishing medium is a life-or-death decision—using the wrong agent can violently spread flames, produce poisonous gases, or electrocute the operator.

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Fire Extinguisher Operation: The PASS Method & Inspection

Security guards should only attempt to extinguish a fire if:

1. The building fire alarm has been activated and 911 emergency services notified;
2. The fire is in its incipient stage (small, confined to a wastebasket, single appliance, or small localized area);
3. The guard has been trained and possesses the proper class of extinguisher;
4. The air is free of dense smoke and toxic fumes; and
5. The guard maintains an unobstructed clear escape path at their back.

If the fire spreads beyond the incipient stage, threatens the exit path, or generates heavy black smoke, immediately abandon firefighting efforts, close the door behind you to compartmentalize the fire, and evacuate.

Operating an Extinguisher: The PASS Technique

P — PULL the safety pin located at the top handle (breaks the plastic tamper seal)
A — AIM the nozzle or hose low at the BASE of the fire (not into the rising flames)
S — SQUEEZE the operating lever or handle steadily to discharge the extinguishing agent
S — SWEEP the nozzle from side to side across the base of the fire until completely extinguished

Monthly Fire Extinguisher Visual Inspection Checklist

Under the Ontario Fire Code (O. Reg. 213/07), portable fire extinguishers must be inspected visually at minimum once every 30 days. During routine patrols, guards must verify:

• Location & Access: Extinguisher is mounted in its assigned wall bracket or cabinet, clearly visible, and completely unobstructed by pallets, furniture, or inventory;
• Pressure Gauge: The needle on the pressure dial rests directly in the green operational zone (not in the red "undercharged" or "overcharged" zones);
• Pin and Seal: The metal pull pin is firmly in place and secured by an unbroken plastic tamper seal;
• Physical Condition: The cylinder has no visible rust, heavy dents, corrosion, or chemical leaks;
• Hose and Nozzle: The discharge hose is pliable, free of dry rot or cracking, and the nozzle is free of debris, dirt, or insect nests;
• Inspection Tag: The monthly inspection tag is signed and dated in indelible ink.

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Single-Stage vs. Two-Stage Fire Alarm Systems

Commercial and residential facilities in Ontario utilize two distinct fire alarm architectures governed by the Ontario Building Code and Ontario Fire Code:

1. Single-Stage Fire Alarm Systems

In a single-stage system, activation of any alarm initiating device (a manual pull station, smoke detector, heat detector, or sprinkler waterflow switch) causes a continuous, loud evacuation alarm to sound immediately throughout the entire facility.

• Action Required: All occupants, visitors, and non-emergency staff must evacuate the building immediately via designated stairwells and fire exits.
• Common Deployments: Low-rise apartment buildings, small strip plazas, warehouses, and single-tenant commercial buildings.

2. Two-Stage Fire Alarm Systems

Two-stage systems are designed for large high-rise office towers, shopping complexes, hospitals, and high-density institutional facilities where an immediate, unmanaged mass evacuation down 40 flights of stairs would cause bottleneck crushes, panic, and obstruct arriving firefighters.

• Stage 1 (Alert Signal):

  • Acoustic Signal: An intermittent alert tone (e.g., 20 to 60 beats per minute) sounds throughout the building.
  • Investigation Phase: Building occupants are instructed to remain calm, suspend normal activities, and stand by for announcements. Security personnel, building engineers, and floor wardens immediately investigate the source of the alarm.
  • The 5-Minute Investigation Timer: The Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) begins a strictly regulated timer (typically 5 minutes). Security guards must proceed immediately to the annunciator panel or alarm zone to determine whether the alarm is an actual fire or a false alarm (e.g., burnt toast, contractor dust).
  • Resetting or Acknowledging: If the guard investigates and verifies a false alarm before the timer expires, the alert signal can be acknowledged or silenced in accordance with the site's approved Fire Safety Plan.

• Stage 2 (Evacuation Signal):

  • Acoustic Signal: A continuous, rapid, or standardized Temporal-3 evacuation tone (e.g., 120 beats per minute) sounds.
  • Trigger Conditions: Stage 2 is triggered when: (1) an actual fire is confirmed, (2) the 5-minute investigation timer runs out without authorized manual intervention, (3) a second initiating device trips (e.g., sprinkler flow after smoke detection), or (4) security/firefighters manually activate Stage 2 using a key in a manual pull station or control panel.
  • Phased Evacuation: Stage 2 initiates immediate evacuation of the alarm floor, the floor above, and the floor below (or the entire building, depending on the municipal Fire Safety Plan).

Evacuation Logistics, Floor Wardens & Persons Requiring Assistance (PRA)

During building evacuations, security personnel coordinate with the facility's Emergency Response Organization, which includes appointed tenant Floor Wardens, Area Wardens, and Searchers.

Role of Fire Wardens

• Ensure all occupants on their assigned floor or quadrant evacuate in an orderly line toward emergency stairwells;
• Conduct a rapid sweep of restrooms, conference rooms, copy centres, and break areas;
• Close all interior doors behind them (unlocked) to retard smoke spread;
• Report floor evacuation status (all clear or occupants remaining) to the security command desk.

Assisted Evacuation for Persons Requiring Assistance (PRA)

Persons with mobility impairments, visual/auditory disabilities, cardiac conditions, or temporary injuries (e.g., broken leg) cannot easily negotiate fire stairwells. The Ontario Fire Code and accessibility legislation require dedicated procedures:

1. Never Use Elevators: Elevators must NEVER be used during a fire evacuation unless explicitly placed under Firefighter Emergency Operation (Phase II) by arriving fire captains. Elevator shafts act as natural chimneys, drawing deadly smoke upward, and power failures can trap occupants between floors.
2. Designated Areas of Refuge: PRAs should be escorted to an approved Area of Refuge, typically a fire-rated stairwell landing equipped with self-closing fire doors and two-way emergency communication call boxes. These stairwells provide pressurized, smoke-free compartments rated for 1 to 2 hours of fire resistance.
3. Assigned Evacuation Monitors: Pre-assigned co-workers or security guards remain with the PRA at the Area of Refuge.
4. Immediate Fire Command Notification: Security guards stationed at the main fire annunciator panel must immediately inform the arriving Fire Department Incident Commander of the exact floor, stairwell letter, and quantity of individuals awaiting rescue in Areas of Refuge.

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Bomb Threat Response Protocols

Bomb threats represent high-risk, low-frequency security emergencies that demand exceptional discipline, strict communication hygiene, and systematic investigation.

Receiving a Telephone Bomb Threat

Most bomb threats are delivered via telephone. The security guard or switchboard operator receiving the call must stay calm, never interrupt or hang up on the caller, and keep the caller talking as long as possible.

The Standardized Bomb Threat Checklist

While the caller is on the line, the guard must immediately begin filling out the Bomb Threat Checklist, recording:

• Exact Words: Transcribe the caller's message verbatim in quotation marks;
• Exact Time: Note the precise timestamp call was received and call duration;
• Caller ID Details: Display number, name, or trunk line;
• Caller Voice Characteristics: Gender, estimated age, pitch (deep, high), tone (calm, angry, stuttering, slurred, intoxicated, reading from a script), accents;
• Background Noises: Street traffic, factory machinery, aircraft, PA systems, children, television, music, echoes;
• Critical Interrogation Questions:
  1. When is the bomb going to explode?
  2. Where is it right now? (Building, floor, room)?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. What kind of bomb is it? (Chemical, pipe, dynamite, package)?
  5. What will cause it to explode? (Timer, movement, remote trigger)?
  6. Did you place the bomb? If so, why?
  7. What is your name and where are you calling from?

The Strict Radio and Cellular Transmission Ban

CRITICAL LIFE SAFETY RULE: As soon as a bomb threat is received or a suspicious device is suspected, security personnel must IMMEDIATELY CEASE ALL TWO-WAY RADIO AND CELLULAR PHONE TRANSMISSIONS within 100 metres (300 feet) of the suspect area or building.

Portable two-way radios and mobile phones emit radio frequency (RF) energy. High-frequency electromagnetic radiation can induce electric currents in the firing wires of electric blasting caps or activate modern radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (RCIEDs), causing instantaneous, premature detonation. All communications inside the cordon must be conducted via hardwired landline telephones or face-to-face verbal runners.

Search Procedures: The Low, Medium, High Technique

Security guards and familiar facility maintenance staff—not police officers—are best suited to conduct initial searches because guards and staff know what items belong in an area and what is foreign or out of place.

When conducting a room search, two searchers should work systematically from the perimeter inward, dividing the vertical space into four overlapping horizontal sweeps:

1. Floor to Waist Level (0 to 3 feet): Search carpets, under desks, chairs, wastebaskets, heating vents, low shelves;
2. Waist to Chin Level (3 to 6 feet): Search desktops, bookcases, wall art, filing cabinets, lockers;
3. Chin to Ceiling Level (6 feet to ceiling): Search tall storage shelving, tops of picture frames, hanging lighting fixtures;
4. False Suspended Ceilings (Above 8 feet): Inspect displaced acoustic ceiling tiles, air duct access panels, and overhead utility lines.

Protocol for Locating a Suspicious Object: DO NOT TOUCH

If an unidentified briefcase, package with protruding wires, leaking oily parcel, or suspicious backpack is located:

THE SUSPICIOUS OBJECT GOLDEN RULE:
• NEVER TOUCH, MOVE, JAR, SHAKE, TILT, OR ATTEMPT TO OPEN A SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE.
• NEVER COVER OR ATTEMPT TO SUBMERGE A SUSPICIOUS OBJECT IN WATER.

1. Do Not Touch: Leave the item exactly as found. Even slight shifts in weight or ambient light can trigger mercury switches or photo-sensitive detonators.
2. Clear and Evacuate: Quietly evacuate the immediate area. Avoid pulling fire alarm pull stations unless authorized by senior management, as occupants evacuating through central corridors could walk directly past the device.
3. Establish Standoff Perimeter: Enforce a minimum evacuation standoff distance of at least 100 metres (300 feet) for compact packages/backpacks, and 300 to 500+ metres for suspected vehicle bombs (VBIEDs), ensuring occupants are positioned behind solid blast-resistant structures and away from glass windows.
4. Notify Emergency Services: Call 911 from a hardwired landline telephone. Request police, specialized Tactical Emergency Response, and the Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU).
5. Brief Arriving Police: Provide the lead police officer with the exact room location, description of the item, route to the location, and building architectural keys.