It has been proven that a large number of bomb threat calls are false alarms, meant only to disturb or disrupt the normal work of a person or company. However, at no time should any call be regarded as a false alarm.
When a call is received, there are several steps you should follow:
- Keep the caller on the line as long as possible. Ask the caller to repeat the message. Do Not put the caller on hold.
- Obtain as much information as possible:
- Location of the bomb
- Time of detonation
- Outside appearance or description of the bomb
- Reason for planting the bomb
- Tell the caller the building is occupied and it might cause death or injury to innocent people.
- Listen for background noise that may help police determine the location of the caller.
- At the conclusion of the call, IMMEDIATELY report the call to the Police Department by calling 911 and by calling Property Management at (818) 990-6181. Be prepared to give all information you were able to obtain from the caller as well as your contact name, address, and phone number.
- WRITE IT DOWN - be prepared to give the police and Property Manager your notes.
- After notifying the Police, Building Management and your Supervisor, each employee should quickly and thoroughly search his / her area for any suspicious, unusual or foreign items and report anything you find. DO NOT TOUCH, MOVE, JAR, DISTURB, UNCOVER OR COVER ANY SUSPICIOUS ITEMS FOUND. Report them immediately.
- If an evacuation is necessary; Building Management will notify you. However, it is up to each individual tenant as to when to evacuate, as well as whether or not to return to their offices.
If you feel that your employees are in imminent danger, you may determine to exercise your independent judgment to move or evacuate your personnel. If you determine this is necessary, please notify the Management Office as quickly as possible.
Once Building Management has been notified of a Bomb Threat and the Police have been contacted, Management will begin notifying all tenants of the situation. Building Management WILL NOT call a mandatory evacuation of the building. Your office should set a company policy on evacuation in the event of a Bomb Threat. Once the Police arrive, if they feel it is prudent they may issue an evacuation order.