5.1 Emergency Readiness, Notifications & Evacuation
Key Takeaways
- Post orders and the emergency action plan define alarm signals, notification routes, evacuation roles, assembly areas, and accountability duties.
- The first report to 911 should give the exact location, incident type, hazards, injuries, suspect information, and safe responder access.
- Guards should direct occupants toward approved safe routes without sending them into smoke, violence, floodwater, contamination, or other hazards.
- During accountability, report who is known missing and where last seen; do not reenter a dangerous area without authorization and proper capability.
Learn the plan before the emergency
Delaware's required emergency-services topic is broader than calling 911. A guard should begin every assignment by learning the site's emergency action plan and post orders. Locate alarm controls, emergency numbers, exits, stairwells, assembly areas, fire equipment, automated external defibrillators, utility shutoffs that guards are authorized to operate, accessible evacuation resources, hazardous-material information, and keys or access devices for responders. Identify who may order evacuation, shelter-in-place, lockdown, or an all-clear.
Check that exit paths and fire doors are unobstructed and that emergency contacts are current. Note occupants who may need planned assistance, but protect private information. A plan that exists only in a binder is not readiness; the guard must know the assigned role and the limit of training.
Size-up and initial notification
On discovering an emergency, pause long enough to avoid becoming another victim. Observe from a safe position: what happened, exact location, immediate threats, number of people affected, changing conditions, and safest approach. Activate the site's alarm or emergency system when required, notify 911 without avoidable delay, and then make internal notifications. Do not postpone public emergency help while searching for a manager.
A useful 911 report contains:
- facility name, street address, building, floor, room, entrance, and callback number;
- incident type and whether it is active or contained;
- fire, smoke, weapons, chemicals, electricity, traffic, structural, or weather hazards;
- number and condition of injured or trapped people;
- suspect description, direction, and weapon if applicable; and
- the safest gate or staging location for responders.
Stay on the line, answer questions, and update material changes. Do not use codes unfamiliar to public dispatchers. Assign someone, if safe, to meet responders without abandoning a critical access-control position.
Evacuate, shelter, or lock down
The correct protective action depends on the hazard. Fire or a dangerous indoor release may require evacuation; a hazardous plume outside may require sheltering indoors and controlling ventilation under the plan; an external violent threat may require lockdown; an earthquake requires immediate protective action before evacuation is assessed. A guard follows the plan but remains alert to conditions that make the planned route unsafe.
| Protective action | Guard priorities | Do not |
|---|---|---|
| Evacuation | Activate notice, direct to safe exits, assist under plan, sweep only assigned safe areas, move to assembly | Use elevators unless the approved plan specifically permits them; direct people through a hazard |
| Shelter-in-place | Move people to designated areas, close access, follow ventilation/communication instructions | Send people outdoors toward a release |
| Lockdown | Secure designated doors, move people from exposed areas, communicate verified information | Open a controlled door to an unidentified person during the threat |
Never announce an all-clear on rumor. Public responders or the authorized site official must make that decision under the plan.
Accountability and access for responders
At the assembly area, use rosters, visitor records, access logs, or supervisor reports as the plan directs. “Missing” means not yet accounted for; it does not prove the person remains inside. Give firefighters or police the name, likely location, last known time, mobility or medical information relevant to rescue, and source of the information. Do not reenter to search unless the authority in charge assigns it and the guard has the training and protection.
Keep apparatus routes, hydrants, fire-department connections, and evacuation exits open. Preserve keys, floor plans, camera views, hazardous-material documents, and knowledgeable facility contacts. Establish a perimeter only where it does not interfere with public responders.
Communication and recovery
Share verified instructions, repeat important directions, and correct rumors. Use plain language, accessible methods, and backups when power or cellular service fails. Record alarm and call times, actions, route changes, hazards, persons assisted, agencies arriving, transfers of control, and authorization for reentry. Preserve related video and logs.
The decision priority is life safety, incident stabilization, then property protection. A guard who knows the plan, calls promptly, communicates exact locations, and refuses unsafe improvisation provides more value than one who attempts rescue beyond training.
Drills and plan maintenance
Treat drills as tests of the plan. Record alarms that were not heard, doors that failed, confusing announcements, blocked accessible routes, accountability gaps, and delays meeting responders. Submit corrective items through the responsible manager and verify assigned security changes. A drill should never be represented to dispatch or occupants as a real emergency, and real danger discovered during a drill immediately takes priority.
What information is most useful in an initial 911 report from a large facility?
During assembly after an evacuation, one employee cannot be accounted for. What should the guard do?
Who should issue an emergency all-clear?