Emergency Response and Notification
Purpose
Emergencies demand fast, correct action. Your job: protect life first, then property, then operations. Memorize the priority order.
Key concepts
- Emergency types: fire, medical, severe weather, bomb threat, active threat, hazardous materials, utility failure.
- Notification chain: call 911 for life-safety emergencies, then notify dispatch/supervisor per post orders. Know the site's evacuation routes, assembly areas, and shelter-in-place locations.
- Fire: RACE (Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Evacuate/Extinguish) and PASS for extinguishers (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep) - use only if trained and safe.
- Active threat: Run–Hide–Fight; do not try to be a hero; guide people to safety and call 911.
- Bomb threat: remain calm, get details, do not touch suspicious items, do not use radios near suspected devices.
- Drills: participate, know your role, and document.
Traps
- Choosing "protect property" over "protect life."
- Delaying the 911 call to "confirm" an emergency.
- Using an extinguisher on a large or spreading fire.
- Using a radio near a suspicious package.
- Forgetting to notify dispatch and document after the event.
Worked example
Smoke appears in a hallway. Correct order: activate the alarm, call 911, help evacuate occupants to the assembly area, then report to your supervisor and document. Rule of thumb: Life, then property, then paperwork - and never delay the call.