5.1 Security Communications, 911 Calls, & Emergency Notification

5.1 Security Communications, 911 Calls, & Emergency Notification

Core Operational Rule: In an emergency, communication comes before almost everything else a security officer does. Call 911 first when life or property is threatened, give your location first, stay on the line, and then notify the people your post orders list. On the radio, identify yourself and the recipient, speak in plain language, keep transmissions short, and assume someone else is listening. "Communications/emergency response" is one of the seven subject areas that N.J.A.C. 13:55A-4.1(b) requires in every 24-hour SORA course.

A security officer is often the first person to see a fire, a medical collapse, or a crime in progress. What you say in the first minute decides how fast the right help arrives and whether it goes to the right door. This section covers the tools, the radio technique, the 911 call, the notification chain, and handing an incident over to responders.

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1. Communication Tools on a Security Post

Multi-line phone systems (Kari's Law): Under the federal Kari's Law and FCC rules, business phone systems installed or manufactured after February 16, 2020 must let a caller dial 911 directly without a prefix, such as "9." Where the system can do so, it must also notify a central on-site or off-site location, such as a security desk, when someone dials 911. If your desk gets these alerts, your post orders should say how to respond: typically send someone to meet the responders and guide them in.

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2. Radio Procedure

The Basic Transmission

1. Think about what you will say before you key the microphone.
2. Listen first so you do not talk over someone else.
3. Press, pause about one second, then speak, so the first word is not cut off.
4. Call format: the recipient first, then yourself. For example: "Base, Post Three."
5. Wait for the acknowledgment ("Post Three, go ahead"), then give the message.
6. End clearly. Many operators use "copy" to acknowledge a message. Avoid movie jargon such as "over and out."

Plain Language

The federal National Incident Management System (NIMS) calls for plain language in incidents involving several agencies. Ten-codes differ from agency to agency and can be misunderstood. Unless your post orders require specific codes, say what you mean: "Medical emergency, lobby, adult male unresponsive, calling 911 now."

Emergency Traffic

Many security and public-safety radio systems use a phrase such as "Emergency traffic" or "Priority" to clear the channel for urgent messages. Learn your site's phrase. When you hear it, stop transmitting until the emergency traffic is finished.

The Phonetic Alphabet

Letters are easily confused on the radio: B, D, P, T, and V sound alike. Use the standard NATO/ICAO phonetic alphabet for plates, names, and room numbers:

Example: License plate "K47-BPT" is spoken "Kilo, four, seven, Bravo, Papa, Tango." Say numbers digit by digit, and use 24-hour time in logs ("1430," not "2:30").

Radio Discipline

• Keep messages brief and factual. No profanity, arguments, jokes, or personal chatter.
• Never broadcast alarm codes, safe combinations, or the full names and personal details of victims or suspects. Treat every transmission as if the public and the media could hear it.
• Check your battery and do a radio check at the start of every shift. Carry the charger or a spare battery if your post allows.

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3. Making the 911 Call

The dispatcher's first need is where to send help. A call that begins "There's a man bleeding really bad!" wastes seconds. Use this order:

1. Location: street address, building name, entrance or gate, floor, room, and landmarks. "Riverside Business Park, 400 Commerce Drive, Building C, north loading dock."
2. Nature of the emergency: fire, medical, crime in progress, hazmat.
3. Details: number of people hurt, their condition, and hazards such as weapons, smoke, chemicals, or downed wires.
4. Suspects: description (use SALUTE, Section 6.1), direction of travel, vehicle and plate.
5. Callback number and your name, including the fact that you are site security.
6. Stay on the line. Answer questions and follow the dispatcher's instructions, for example CPR coaching. Do not hang up until the dispatcher says to.

Send someone to meet the responders at the street or main entrance. Have elevators, gates, and keys ready.

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4. The Notification Chain

Post orders list who to notify and in what order. A typical sequence is:

1. 911 / emergency services when life or property is in danger.
2. Your dispatch or supervisor, by radio or phone.
3. The client's emergency contact, such as the facility manager or building engineer.
4. Other specialists named in the post orders: alarm company, utility company, elevator service, environmental or safety officer.

Log each notification: time, person contacted, and what was said. Under the SORA rules your employer must keep brief summaries of noteworthy incidents "including ... incidents requiring police and/or other emergency responders" (N.J.A.C. 13:55A-6.3(b)5). Those records come from your notes.

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5. Public Address and Occupant Instructions

When you make or read an emergency announcement:

• Use the prepared script if the Emergency Action Plan has one.
• State what is happening, what to do, and where to go. For example: "Attention please. A fire has been reported on the third floor. Evacuate the building now using the nearest stairway. Do not use elevators."
• Speak slowly and calmly, and repeat the message.
• Do not guess at facts or speculate about causes.

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6. Communicating With Arriving Responders

Responding agencies often organize themselves under the Incident Command System (ICS), part of NIMS. The Incident Commander is in charge of the scene. Security supports that person; it does not direct the response.

Brief the first arriving officer or firefighter with:

• What happened and when;
• Where the problem is, and the best access route;
• Hazards: people inside, chemicals, locked areas, alarm or sprinkler status;
• Actions already taken, such as evacuation, CPR or AED use, or utilities shut off;
• Access aids: keys, access cards, floor plans, elevator control, and camera views.

Then stay available and follow instructions. Do not re-enter an evacuated area unless the Incident Commander tells you to.

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7. Scenario: Medical Emergency at a Distribution Center

Radio (Post 2): "Base, Post Two, emergency traffic." — "Post Two, go ahead." — "Medical emergency, Dock Door Fourteen, adult male collapsed, not breathing. Starting CPR. Call 911 and bring the AED."

911 call by Base: "I'm the security dispatcher at 400 Commerce Drive, Building C, the north truck entrance. An adult male has collapsed at Dock Door 14 and is not breathing. CPR is in progress and an AED is on the way. My callback number is ... A guard will meet you at the north gate."

Why it works: The location was given first in both messages. The request was specific (911 and the AED). A guide was assigned to meet responders at a named gate. The dispatcher's times will go into the log and the incident report.

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8. Summary Table