7.3 Internal & External Communications

7.3 Internal & External Communications

Quick Answer: Mandatory Course 3—Communication and its Significance—is a 4-hour BSIS skills course. Internal communications cover protocols pursuant to contract (who to contact and when), radios/monitors, and other technology. External communications cover emergency/first responders, medical personnel, police/sheriff/other enforcement, and city/government services. Mastery means knowing when to escalate, whom to call, and how to talk on the radio without creating chaos.

A guard who observes perfectly but cannot communicate is ineffective. Most serious site failures involve late notification, wrong contacts, or clogged radio channels—not a lack of courage.

Internal Communications: Protocols Pursuant to Contract

Private security works under contracts and post orders. Those documents define the internal call tree: client representatives, account managers, on-call supervisors, building engineers, and alarm monitoring centers.

Who to contact and when is not optional creativity. Calling the wrong person delays help; calling no one creates liability. If post orders conflict with an immediate life-safety need, protect life first, then notify as soon as practical and document why.

Know backup numbers when primary contacts fail. Verify your contact list at shift start. Never post confidential client numbers on public social media.

Radios, Monitors, and Other Technology

Radio / Monitors

Radios are the backbone of multi-guard sites. Monitors include CCTV stations, alarm panels, access-control dashboards, and sometimes panic-button receivers.

Radio discipline essentials:

1. Identify yourself with assigned call sign/unit number
2. Listen before transmitting so you do not step on emergency traffic
3. Be brief—location, situation, request (“Unit 3, lobby, medical assist, need supervisor”)
4. Use plain language unless your employer mandates approved codes; never invent slang codes
5. Repeat critical information (addresses, suspect clothing, weapon status) for confirmation
6. Keep personal chatter off the air
7. Protect sensitive data—assume scanners or bystanders may hear; avoid full Social Security numbers, medical diagnoses, or juvenile names when policy forbids

When monitoring cameras or alarms, treat the console as an active post: acknowledge alerts, dispatch patrol, and log times. Do not binge entertainment content on the same screens used for life safety.

Other Technology

Modern posts add phones, apps, body-worn or phone cameras (only if authorized), panic apps, mass-notification systems, and email ticketing. Technology rules:

• Use employer-approved devices and channels for official traffic
• Do not rely solely on text if voice/radio is required for emergencies
• Preserve digital evidence (do not delete alarm history or video bookmarks)
• Follow cybersecurity basics: lock screens, no shared passwords, report lost devices

Technology expands reach; it does not replace human judgment about escalation.

External Communications: Who Gets Called Outside the Contract Chain

BSIS lists four external categories. Memorize what each does for a security post.

Emergency / First Responders

Fire, EMS, and specialized rescue units respond to life-threatening and major hazard events. Your job is early recognition, accurate location, access for apparatus, and crowd/traffic control as directed. Give the dispatcher:

• Exact address and entry instructions (gate codes only on secure channels as allowed)
• Nature of emergency (fire, smoke, collapse, hazmat odor)
• Known injuries and hazards to responders
• Your callback number and staging location

Stay on the line if instructed. Do not hang up to “handle it yourself” during an active structure fire or medical collapse.

Medical Personnel

Medical responders (EMS, on-site nurses, industrial clinics) handle illness and injury. Guards provide scene safety, basic first aid only within training/certification, and clear handoff. Share what you observed (time of collapse, known allergies if the patient volunteers, hazards). Do not offer medical opinions beyond your training. Bloodborne-pathogen precautions apply whenever bodily fluids are present.

Police / Sheriff / Other Enforcement

Law enforcement handles crimes, arrests beyond your authority, weapons, and public-order emergencies. When you call:

• State you are security at a specific address
• Describe crimes in progress vs. cold reports
• Provide suspect descriptions and direction of travel
• Clarify whether anyone is detained under PC 837 / merchant’s privilege and whether force was used

Cooperate, do not interfere with investigations, and do not claim peace-officer powers. Other enforcement may include campus police, transit police, or regulatory inspectors depending on the site.

City Services / Government Services

Non-emergency government services include public works (flooding, downed wires after the utility is notified), animal control, code enforcement, and health departments for certain hazards. Use non-emergency numbers when life safety is not at stake. Post orders often list preferred contacts for elevators, street closures, and homeless outreach teams—use those lists instead of inventing ad-hoc calls that confuse clients.

When to Escalate

Escalate early when waiting could cost life or major property loss. Do not over-escalate minor issues in a way that burns goodwill—but when unsure on life safety, call.

After any external call, complete internal notifications required by contract so the client is not blindsided by fire trucks they never heard about from you.

Radio Discipline Under Stress

Stress collapses communication quality. Train yourself to a simple template:

1. Unit ID
2. Location
3. Problem
4. Action needed
5. Safety notes (weapon, hazards)

Example: “Unit 12, loading dock south, male with knife, subjects evacuating, need PD and supervisor, I am at cover behind the bollards.”

If the channel is congested, use priority language your employer authorizes (“emergency traffic”) and yield when the crisis unit talks. Write times in your notebook even while transmitting—your report will need them.

Course 3 in the Bigger Skills Picture

Course 1 builds respectful public contact; Course 2 builds observation and documentation; Course 3 connects your eyes and notes to the people who can actually resolve emergencies. Mandatory Course 4 (liability/legal aspects) will add legal consequences when communications fail. Treat every radio check and contact-list update as part of your professional standard—not busywork.