Public Safety and Emergency Response
Life-safety priorities
Emergency response in security work follows a fixed order: life safety first, incident stabilization second, property conservation third. A guard's job is to recognize the emergency, alert the right responders, protect people, and support the incident command system. Security supports firefighters and police; it does not take over their scene.
Core procedures
- Fire: use RACE - Rescue anyone in immediate danger if safe, Alarm and call 911, Contain by closing doors, Evacuate or Extinguish only a small fire if trained. For a portable extinguisher use PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep. Never use elevators in a fire evacuation.
- Medical: ensure scene safety, call 911, obtain consent from a conscious person, provide CPR or AED and bleeding control within training, and do not move a person unless there is immediate danger.
- Active threat: Run if escape is safe, Hide if not, Fight only as a last resort. Secure doors, silence phones, call 911 when safe, and do not pull a fire alarm to evacuate people into danger unless policy and conditions require it.
- Hazardous materials or suspicious package: isolate the area, deny entry, note the location and description from a safe distance, and call professionals. Do not touch, smell, or clean up the material.
- Weather and utility failures: move people away from glass, follow shelter or evacuation plans, and keep access routes clear for responders.
Worked example
A fire alarm sounds in a crowded lobby. Reasoning: treat it as real until confirmed otherwise. The guard should initiate RACE, call 911 or confirm the alarm was transmitted, direct people to the nearest safe exit, keep elevators out of service, assist people with mobility impairments to a refuge area, and report to the assembly point. Re-entry waits for the fire department. Fighting a large or spreading fire is outside the role.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming an alarm is a drill; using an elevator; opening a hot door; entering a hazmat scene to check; blocking fire lanes; failing to account for visitors; giving medical care beyond training; trying to confront an active shooter without training or necessity. Each trap turns a support role into a second casualty or a delay for responders.