Emergency Response and Crisis Management
Phases and priorities
Emergency management follows four phases - mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery - and a guard works mostly in preparedness and response. Life safety is always the first priority, then property protection, then continuity of operations. Know the site's Emergency Action Plan: evacuation routes, assembly areas, shelter-in-place locations, accountability procedures, and the chain of notification. Know the difference between evacuation (leave the building), shelter-in-place (seal a room against an external hazard), and lockdown (secure against a threat inside or nearby).
Crisis concepts
Understand fire response (activate alarm, call 911, evacuate, never use elevators, never re-enter), medical response (scene safety first, then call, then first aid/CPR/AED within training), severe weather (interior rooms, away from glass), and bomb threat (do not use radios near the device, note the caller's exact words, evacuate and let professionals search). In crisis communication, give clear, short, calm directions and avoid panic-inducing language. Understand incident command basics: one person is in charge, and the guard's job is to support the incident commander, not freelance.
Traps and rule of thumb
Traps include re-entering a building to retrieve property, treating a fire alarm as certainly false, and attempting a rescue beyond training. Rule of thumb: protect life first, then property - and never become a second victim.