Volume 2   Issue 17             Tuesday, April 1,  2003  

Safe Living

Bomb Threats

By Ronald Porep

A muffled voice on the phone has just told the receptionist that a bomb will explode in your office building within the next three hours. The upset receptionist tells you – her boss – about the threat between sobs. What do you do?

 The most important thing to do is not to panic.

            The next most important thing to do is follow a plan. Before you are threatened with a bomb, instruct your staff on handling bomb threats.

            The staff should do everything they can to get as much information from the caller as possible.  They should keep the caller on the line and record everything that is said. Having a tape recorder hooked into the main phone line of your business is a great idea and easily done by either the company who installed the phone system or by you with some hardware and even help from your local electronics store such as a Radio Shack. Phone recorders can record calls on just your main line or all the lines for your business. As someone talks to the caller, some one else should call the fire department and/or police (911 call will do both) and then building management if you do not manage your own building.

            Have any envelopes or packages been delivered today from sources you do not recognize? Tell the police about them when you report the bomb threat. Of course, do not touch the envelopes or packages. In fact, tell everyone to leave everything where it is as only the experts know what is safe to move.

            Now, evacuate the building. Do so orderly. Panic only increases the time it takes to get out of a building and can get you and others hurt.

            Use the stairs  unless emergency personnel instruct you to use the elevator. Travel single file on the stairs and walk not run down them.

            In evacuating a building, don't stand in front of windows, glass doors or other potentially hazardous areas.  Do not block sidewalk or streets to be used by emergency officials or others still exiting the building.

            And, once you are out of the building safely, do not spread rumors especially with the local news media. Like you just know that box delivered by that disheveled UPS man is an nuclear bomb.

            Keep yourself safe and help others by following direction and not panicking.

            Keep others safe by not spreading false information that may cause others to panic.

            Panic is lots more dangerous than most bombs.

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Thank you for reading this column.

Please live safetly.

THE END