4.3 Active Threat, Bomb Threat, Severe Weather & Incident Response

4.3 Active Threat, Bomb Threat & Incident Response

NY Security Guard Standard: Security officers are critical shock absorbers during high-intensity crisis events such as active shooter incidents, telephoned bomb threats, and suspicious packages. Officers must master the DHS/FBI RUN/HIDE/FIGHT active shooter tactical framework, execute police response coordination etiquette, document bomb threats using standardized checklists, establish safe standoff distances, and identify explosive package indicators.

Extreme physical threats require immediate, disciplined execution of emergency action plans. In high-stress crisis scenarios, security officers must remain calm, make rapid tactical decisions, guide building occupants to safety, and seamlessly integrate with law enforcement and emergency response teams.

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Active Shooter Emergency Response Protocol (DHS / FBI Model)

An Active Shooter is defined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. Active shooter situations are volatile, evolve rapidly, and typically end within 10 to 15 minutes—often before law enforcement arrives.

Security officers and facility occupants must adopt the RUN / HIDE / FIGHT decision continuum:

                  [ 🚨 ACTIVE SHOOTER DETECTED ]
                                |
               +----------------+----------------+
               |                                 |
     [ Clear Escape Path? ]             [ Escape Blocked? ]
               |                                 |
        ( YES )|                          ( YES )|
               v                                 v
        🏃 [ 1. RUN ]                    🚪 [ 2. HIDE ]
    (Evacuate Immediately)           (Lockdown & Barricade)
                                                 |
                                         [ Breach Imminent? ]
                                                 |
                                          ( YES )|
                                                 v
                                         ⚔️ [ 3. FIGHT ]
                                     (Act with Aggression)

1. RUN (Evacuate)

If a clear, accessible escape path exists, your primary obligation is to evacuate the facility immediately:

• Evacuate Regardless: Evacuate whether or not other occupants agree to follow.
• Leave Belongings Behind: Do not waste precious seconds gathering coats, bags, or personal valuables.
• Help Others Escape: Warn others as you evacuate, but do not allow hesitation or panic from others to delay your escape.
• Prevent Entry: Block bystanders and visitors from entering the building or active threat zone.
• Call 911: Call 911 only when you have reached a secure, safe location outside the threat area.

2. HIDE (Lockdown & Barricade)

If evacuation is impossible or the path to safety is blocked by the shooter, locate a secure hiding area:

• Lock & Barricade Doors: Lock office or classroom doors immediately. Push heavy furniture (desks, heavy filing cabinets, bookcases) firmly against the door to create physical barricades.
• Conceal & Cover: Move out of direct line of sight from door windows and corridor sidelights. Cover interior glass panels if possible.
• Silence Electronic Devices: Turn off lights and silence all cell phones, pagers, and two-way radios (turn off both ringer and vibration settings).
• Remain Quiet: Lie low behind solid cover (concrete walls, heavy steel desks) and remain completely quiet. Do not open doors for anyone until official law enforcement identification is confirmed.

3. FIGHT (Act with Total Aggression)

As an absolute last resort—and ONLY when your life is in imminent danger and escape or hiding is impossible—commit fully to disrupting and incapacitating the shooter:

• Act aggressively: Display total physical commitment and aggression.
• Improvise Weapons: Arm yourself and others with heavy or sharp items (fire extinguishers, heavy chairs, metal pipes, glass bottles, scissors, heavy books).
• Target Vulnerable Areas: Aim blows at the shooter's eyes, face, throat, neck, and weapon hands.
• Team Action: Swarm the attacker simultaneously from multiple angles to overpower and disarm them.

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Interacting with Responding Law Enforcement

When NYPD or local police tactical units (e.g., ESU, SWAT) arrive on scene, their primary mission is to locate and neutralize the active shooter immediately. Officers will NOT stop to treat injured victims or answer questions during their initial breach.

Mandatory Conduct When Police Arrive

• Keep Hands Visible: Immediately drop all items, radio handsets, keys, or flashlights. Raise your hands high above your head and spread your fingers wide.
• No Sudden Movements: Do NOT make sudden movements, reach toward officers, or make gestures.
• Avoid Physical Contact: Never grab, touch, or hold onto responding police officers.
• Follow Orders: Obey all verbal commands immediately and precisely. Lie face-down on the floor if ordered.

Vital Information to Report to 911 Dispatch & Responding Officers

• Location: Last known physical location and direction of travel of the shooter(s).
• Number: Total number of active shooters observed.
• Description: Physical appearance (clothing color, hat/helmet, height, weight, gender).
• Weapons: Types and quantity of weapons (handguns, long rifles, shotguns, explosive vests).
• Victims: Estimated number and locations of injured casualties.

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Bomb Threat Management Protocols & ATF/FBI Checklist

Bomb threats are typically received via telephone, written note, email, or social media. Telephoned threats require immediate, methodical documentation using the standard ATF/FBI Bomb Threat Checklist.

Telephoned Threat Operating Rules

1. Remain Calm & Prolong the Call: Keep the caller on the line as long as possible. Do NOT hang up!
2. Signal Coworkers: Silently attract the attention of a nearby officer or supervisor to notify 911 and property management immediately on a secondary line.
3. Record Exact Words: Write down the exact phrasing used by the caller verbatim.

Essential Bomb Threat Questions to Ask

• "When is the bomb set to explode?"
• "Where is the bomb located right now (building, floor, room)?"
• "What does the bomb look like?"
• "What kind of bomb is it (pipe bomb, dynamite, explosive chemical)?"
• "What will cause the bomb to explode?"
• "Did you place the bomb? Why?"
• "What is your name and location?"

Documenting Threat Characteristics

• Voice Characteristics: Loud, soft, deep, raspy, high-pitched, accent, slurred speech, stutter, nasal tone.
• Language / Demeanor: Calm, angry, excited, rational, irrational, coherent, incoherent, reading from a script.
• Background Noises: Street traffic, train/subway noise, office machinery, music, static, animal sounds, house noises, clear line.

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Facility Search Procedures & Evacuation Standoff Distances

Search Protocols

If a bomb threat is received, property management and law enforcement may request security officers to assist in a visual, non-touch search of common public areas (lobbies, rest rooms, stairwells, trash receptacles):

• Search Method: Conduct searches visually. Look for out-of-place items, unassigned luggage, or unattended boxes.
• STRICT RULE — DO NOT TOUCH: NEVER touch, move, open, or jar any suspicious item or package.
• Radio / Cell Phone Silence: Turn off all two-way radios, cellular phones, and wireless equipment within 300 feet of a suspected explosive. Radio frequency (RF) signals can trigger sensitive radio-controlled electronic detonators.

Evacuation Standoff Distances

When an evacuation is ordered due to a bomb threat or suspicious package:

• Establish a minimum perimeter standoff distance of 300 to 500 feet outdoors from the building or threat location.
• Direct evacuees behind solid structural blast barriers (concrete retaining walls, natural terrain) and away from exterior glass windows, facade panels, parking garages, or vehicle traffic lanes.

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Suspicious Package & Envelope Recognition Indicators

Security officers screening incoming mail, courier deliveries, or lobby baggage must recognize the classic physical indicators of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or hazardous chemical/biological packages:

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                       SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE INDICATORS                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  1. EXCESSIVE POSTAGE   : Substantially more stamps than required      |
|  2. ADDRESS DEFECTS     : Handwritten/poorly typed; misspelled names   |
|  3. RESTRICTIVE LABELS  : "PERSONAL", "CONFIDENTIAL", "DO NOT X-RAY"   |
|  4. PHYSICAL MARKS      : Oily stains, discoloration, strange odor    |
|  5. PROTRUDING COMPONENTS: Visible copper wires, foil, string, tape   |
|  6. UNUSUAL PACKAGING   : Excessive sealing tape, lopsided weight     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Action Protocol for Suspicious Packages

1. Isolate: Place the item down gently on a stable surface. Do NOT shake, open, bend, or squeeze the package.
2. Evacuate: Evacuate the immediate room, suite, or floor. Close doors to contain potential contaminants.
3. Shutdown HVAC: Notify engineering to shut off building Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems to prevent aerosolized biological/chemical agents from circulating through ductwork.
4. Notify: Contact 911, NYPD Bomb Squad / FDNY, and facility management immediately.

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Active Threat vs. Bomb Threat Incident Comparison

Severe Weather & Natural Disaster Response

DCJS emergency-situation training also expects guards to recognize weather and disaster threats that can endanger occupants as quickly as a fire or bomb threat. Common New York scenarios include winter storms and ice, coastal or inland flooding, high-wind / hurricane remnants, and extreme heat.

Guard priorities in severe weather

1. Monitor official alerts from the National Weather Service, building management, and local emergency management — do not rely on social media rumor.
2. Protect people first: move occupants away from glass curtain walls during high winds, keep people out of flooded basements and elevator pits, and open warming or cooling areas only if post orders authorize it.
3. Secure the site: report roof leaks, downed lines, blocked exits, and power failures; do not touch downed electrical wires.
4. Control access points so emergency crews can enter while preventing opportunistic theft during outages.
5. Document start time, weather conditions, notifications made, areas closed, and injuries or property damage in the incident report.

Exam Trap: Leaving your post during a storm without supervisor authorization — or refusing a lawful evacuation order — can violate post orders and create liability even if you believed you were “helping.” Follow the site emergency plan.