Crisis Management
Bomb Threat
The most important step in the crisis management is gathering situational information. Decisions and responses should be based on the information at hand, evaluated on a situation-by-situation basis. If the bomb threat occurs in a school, it must be taken seriously. However, "many school bomb threats have been made by students seeking to disrupt the school day and to get out of school," (National School Safety and Security Services," 2013). Therefore, evacuations are not necessarily warranted or desirable.
An immediate visual search of the area is warranted, to determine whether or not the threat is to be taken seriously. Ideally, personnel familiar with the building will perform a visual scan because they will know if suspicious objects are seen. If a suspicious object has been detected, then an evacuation will be advisable. Effective crisis management demands a smooth evacuation procedure, with pre-designed protocols that all employees are familiar with for maximum efficiency and minimum panic.
It is important to have protocols and procedures in place with clear chains of command. One of the measures specific to bomb threats in particular is phone call management. If the threat was phoned in, the receiver of the call is instructed to remain on the phone as long as possible without hanging up to ensure the potential of being able to trace the dialogue (Department of Homeland Security, 2013). Moreover, remaining on the line with the caller...
This information can be used to identify the location of the explosives as well as the perpetrator.
Bomb threats do not end with the initial phone call and evacuation. First responders place themselves at considerable risk, given "some bombers, terrorists, and related offenders who plant bombs also place secondary explosive devices to harm first responders and others after an initial bomb is located and/or exploded," (National School Safety and Security Services, 2013). For this reason, first responders should be thoroughly debriefed. Effective crisis management depends on having strong relationships with first responders, ensuring that the channels of communication and information sharing remain open.
Contingencies
Effective crisis management involves an ongoing and preventative program. Therefore, all members of the management team need to participate in the creation of procedural guidelines for crisis management. A communications network and protocol are essential for responding to bomb threats, especially given that bomb threats are linked to communications networks. There should be clearly outlined evacuation plans and protocols for alerting first responders and law enforcement personnel. Finally, the administrators should also have a public relations protocol because in most cases, there will be a need to manage the media in the time of crisis.
Robbery in Progress
According to Miller (2006), many…
