Smoke in the Hotel Laundry Room
At 06:40, a guard at a 140-room Oklahoma City hotel responds to a smoke alarm on the second floor. He finds smoke coming from the laundry room; a dryer is running with lint visibly packed around the door, and a housekeeper is coughing near the doorway. Smoke is light gray and moving along the ceiling. The fire alarm panel shows a supervisory signal, not a general alarm. Two guests in robes are walking toward the elevators. The guard has a radio, a flashlight, and no firefighting training beyond extinguisher use. The hotel's emergency plan says 'evacuate on general alarm; investigate supervisory signals.' The local fire department is 4 minutes away. The guard is the only security officer on duty. The second-floor corridor has 14 rooms and one elevator lobby.
1. What are the guard's immediate life-safety actions? Address the supervisory signal, the coughing housekeeper, and the guests near the elevator.
Read the worked answer
Treat smoke as a fire until proven otherwise and do not wait for a general alarm. Call 911, report smoke in the laundry room, give the address and floor, and state that a housekeeper is coughing. Activate the general alarm manually if the panel allows and the plan permits, or follow fire-department direction; a supervisory signal does not mean there is no emergency. Tell the guests to use the stairs, not the elevator, and direct them away from the smoke. Move the housekeeper to fresh air, keep her from reentering, and request EMS. Use a fire extinguisher only if the fire is small, he is trained, he has an exit behind him, and 911 and the alarm have been called. Never enter a smoke-filled room alone. Close the laundry door only if it is safe to do so to limit smoke spread. Establish a safe command point.
2. How should the guard apply basic incident command until the fire department arrives?
Read the worked answer
Establish command: state that he is the incident commander until relieved, then size up the smoke, occupants, and exits. Assign clear roles: one person to call 911 and meet the fire department, one to evacuate the second floor, and one to hold the lobby and elevator area. Do not try to do every task alone. Maintain accountability by asking housekeeping for a floor roster and noting guests who need assistance. Give the fire department a concise transfer-of-command report: location, occupancy, actions taken, alarm status, injuries, and access. Keep the lobby clear for apparatus. The guard remains incident commander only until a qualified fire officer arrives, then transfers command and follows instructions. If no staff are available, he should prioritize evacuation and fire-department notification over holding a formal command post.
3. What should the guard avoid doing, and why?
Read the worked answer
Avoid solo interior firefighting, especially in smoke; avoid using the elevators; avoid opening a closed door that is hot; avoid reentering after evacuation; avoid silencing the alarm before investigation; avoid blocking fire-department access; and avoid giving medical care beyond his training. The housekeeper's coughing suggests smoke inhalation, so he should not send her back in or dismiss it. The guests in robes may be disoriented; he should direct them firmly to the stairs. He should not wait for the panel to change from supervisory to general alarm before calling 911 or moving people. Documentation should be completed after the emergency, not during it, but he should note key times as soon as it is safe.