Public Safety and Emergency Response
What the candidate must know
Emergency response follows a predictable sequence: recognize, alert, contain, evacuate or shelter, assist responders, document. Know the life-safety priorities - life safety first, then incident stabilization, then property conservation. Understand fire behavior basics (fire triangle, smoke as the primary killer, evacuation vs. defend-in-place), active threat response (Run-Hide-Fight or equivalent), and medical first response (scene safety, calling EMS, CPR/AED, bleeding control, not moving a suspected spinal injury). Know your role in incident command: security supports the incident commander; it does not take over. Familiarize yourself with alarm types (fire, duress, intrusion, environmental) and the difference between evacuation and shelter-in-place triggers.
Traps
Questions test whether you run toward danger you cannot handle - the correct answer usually involves calling 911/professional responders and securing the perimeter, not solo entry. Another trap: choosing to fight a small fire when the correct answer is evacuate and pull the alarm. Watch for questions about elevators in a fire (never use), and about re-entry before the fire department clears the building (never allow).
Rule of thumb
P-A-S-S for extinguishers, but only on a small, contained fire with a clear exit behind you. Otherwise: alarm, evacuate, call, contain.