Emergency Management. High Risk/Low Frequency Emergencies Most high risk incidents do not happen very often (low frequency).

Transcription

1 Emergency Management Generally speaking, a day spent working as a Security Professional is usually of a routine nature. After all, when was the last time you experienced a major emergency at work? You may be one of thousands of Security Professionals working for our company who has never experienced a serious emergency at work, such as a fire, earthquake, hurricane or workplace violence incident. If you are one of these Security Professionals, how often do these topics enter your mind? Hopefully, your answer is frequently. For the population in general, the answer is rarely, if ever. For most people, the thought of experiencing a major emergency is simply not something that they consider. High Risk/Low Frequency Emergencies Most high risk incidents do not happen very often (low frequency). The following are examples of high risk emergencies that could happen at your facility or work site. Fire Power outage Medical emergency Terrorism Workplace violence Bomb threat Severe weather Earthquake Because of the low frequency of high risk incidents, the average person does not spend much time thinking about them or what they would do if one were to occur. If a high risk emergency were to occur while you were working, would you know what to do? The key to being able to handle such an incident is to prepare beforehand Universal Protection Service. All rights reserved. 97

2 Training Constant training is the only way to be prepared for any crisis. Firefighters spend much of their careers training and preparing for a variety of emergencies. Preplanning and training are the reasons these professionals can quickly and efficiently react when one does occur. The more time you, as a Security Professional, spend preparing for the next potential emergency, the more competent you will become in handling such an event, should it occur. Hopefully, after completing this module, you better understand the importance of such preparation. Anyone who is not prepared for an emergency can easily become a victim of that Sources for Training Materials The best training material on your post can be found in your Post Orders and/or in your facility s Emergency Plan. Most facilities have an Emergency Plan. It may be called a Site Emergency Plan, Building Emergency Plan, Emergency Response Manual, Emergency Procedures Plan or another similar name. After reading the procedures listed either in your Post Orders and/or the Emergency Plan, you will begin to understand not only your duties and responsibilities, but also the duties and responsibilities of everyone connected to the facility in which you work. Remember, you will be one of a number of people who will respond to an event and the response should be a team effort. Every day must be a training day Post Orders and Emergency Procedure Plans are guidelines for handling emergencies. One way of preparing for an emergency is to participate in a drill or a practice exercise that simulates an event. The difficulty is that it is not possible to structure a drill exercise for every possible emergency that you could experience in a facility. Therefore, you must assume some responsibility on how you will respond by doing your own training and preparation. After reading the information in your Building Emergency Plan or Post Orders, you must be able to apply that information. To apply the information, you need to ask yourself a very important question, What would I do if <type of emergency> happened right at this moment? By using your imagination, you will be able to determine options for possible responses. In the future, if a similar emergency occurred, it is very likely you would choose one of the options that you had previously imagined within your mind. Carrying out this process can provide solutions to future challenges you may encounter and help give you confidence when an actual crisis does occur. While you are doing your job, if you occasionally ask yourself what if questions, you will find yourself better prepared to respond to any The following example demonstrates the value of asking a what if question because the circumstances change the response. Example During an earthquake, the procedures in your Post Instructions and/or Emergency Plan would instruct you to immediately: Duck, Cover, and Hold! Question: How will you implement this procedure if you are: 1. Driving a vehicle? 2. Walking down a walled corridor? 3. Patrolling a parking structure? 4. Sitting at a desk? 5. Standing in the lobby of a building where there is no furniture? Answer: You can prepare yourself for any crisis just by imagining such an emergency situation and asking yourself What would I do if such an emergency happened just at this moment? Universal Protection Service. All rights reserved.

3 Your first actions may be different depending on: The type of emergency Your location The time of day Your available resources (personnel and equipment) Any combination of variable existing at the time of the event You must consider your duties and the duties of others by asking questions such as the following: Who is in charge? What duties are you responsible for? What are the duties of others? Can you delegate authority to others or are you on your own? What are the priorities? Here are a few things to consider: Immediate life safety (your own and others) Notification of emergency responders (police, fire or paramedics) Long term life safety (isolating dangerous conditions or situations) Property protection (physical protection of the business) Advantages of and Disadvantages of Not Being Prepared Advantages of preparing for an emergency ahead of time: You will most likely know how to respond You will feel more confident You will make better decisions as you will be less stressed Disadvantages of not preparing for an emergency ahead of time: You will experience a lot of stress and anxiety, perhaps panic You may experience a lack of confidence of what to do You most likely will not make very good decisions You may be unprepared to take care of yourself Know Your Post Preparing for an emergency is knowing how to respond to one. The first thing to prepare is to understand your post. For example: What risks are unique to your location? While on post and on patrol, be on constant lookout for anything that would pose a risk to people or property. Know Your Plan Read your Post Orders and emergency response plans, including emergency contact information and fire life safety equipment use, etc. to ensure you completely understand your duties and responsibilities. Coordinate and Communicate Learn your post s current incident management and emergency procedures. Become part of the team structure and plan to handle any Be prepared to call appropriate law enforcement or emergency responders. You will most likely assist them when they arrive. Understand Your Role What is your role during any emergency? Remember that you are part of the emergency management and response team, not its only member. Because you may be the first person on site who is aware of the emergency, you must understand how to respond and who to contact. Help educate others on site about your post s emergency response plans, including their roles in an When an emergency occurs you have to be ready to improvise and react appropriately to the situation. The occurrence of an emergency tests your training and preparation. The purpose of actual drills, mental rehearsal drills and table top exercises is to help prepare you to react and respond appropriately to implement measures designed to control the situation and minimize adverse consequences in an 2012 Universal Protection Service. All rights reserved. 99

4 Emergency Response When an emergency strikes, first take a brief moment to understand the situation and recall your training and preparation. Stay calm and professional. People will be influenced by how you react. Try to keep others calm. Make sure of your personal safety and then gather as much information as you can about the Alert and Notification Follow your post s procedures for implementing the specific response plan for the situation you are facing. If there is not a specific plan, follow your post s general emergency response plan. Follow the alert and notification instructions in the Emergency Response Plan or your Post Orders. Alert and notification instructions may include: Notifying the proper emergency and/or law enforcement agencies Sounding the alarm when appropriate and alerting facility occupants if necessary Notifying the appropriate individuals on the emergency contact list And in some cases, it may be necessary to evacuate specific areas, floors or the entire facility Assume Your Role Keep in mind that an emergency may not fit predefined parameters or plans. Also, there may be confusion about the situation. An emergency could be a water leak or it may be workplace violence, an earthquake or even a terrorist attack. You must be prepared to implement plans for any situation. The more knowledge you gain about your post, its procedures and emergency response plan, the better able you will be to fulfill your vital role in helping to implement the plan. Assume your designated role in the emergency management plan. Perform your assigned responsibilities with confidence and be prepared to direct others. In this module we cannot give you specific guidelines on the role you may be asked to assume. Every crisis is different and each post will have its own procedures. Some of the general responsibilities you could be called on to perform may include: Operate the building communication system Assist with evacuation Secure or control access points or critical areas Direct or escort emergency personnel Respond to incidents Provide updates and reports to management Monitor outside information sources Keep in mind that an emergency does not end routine security threats. In an emergency, security officers must remain alert, continue to pay attention to overall security concerns and observe and report all issues not just those related to the Incident Command Structure Every major incident requires someone who has the responsibility to manage the incident. For example, for most commercial buildings this responsibility has been delegated to the property manager or the chief engineer. Make sure you understand the command structure for your facility. If it is late at night and you are involved in handling an emergency, you will be in charge until you are properly relieved by emergency responders, facilities management or another Universal Protection Service employee(s). When the fire or police arrive at your site for an emergency, they will implement an Incident Command Structure similar to the diagram on the following page. During an emergency, your facility may also implement a similar command structure as well. All incidents, regardless of size, will have an incident commander. If the incident commander s job becomes too complex, the incident commander may delegate command activities to others in this manner. Every Universal Protection Service. All rights reserved.

5 person should know their role and the role of others on the team. In your role as a Security Professional, you are often expected to be an emergency management resource. Others will look to you, and will follow your lead in an emergency if you are thoroughly prepared to respond appropriately. Who is in charge? Incident Commander Planning Operations Logistics Finance What do we do? Who does the job? How do we get what we need? Who pays for it? 2012 Universal Protection Service. All rights reserved. 101