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Bomb Threats at Office Buildings

Appropriate Responses following Bomb Threats

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Bomb Threats at Office Buildings

As dissatisfied people may use "bomb threats" to disrupt work, it may be inappropriate to evacuate a building on every threat. A prompt decision of whether or not to evacuate can be made following a search.

A Bomb is Threatened

Immediately after a bomb threat, the person receiving the threat can:

• Contact the Building Manager / Emergency Coordinator, Police Department and Fire Department
• Complete a Bomb Threat Report immediately. The results should be available to Police and Fire Department employees, upon their arrival.
• The Building Manager / Emergency Coordinator can alert all office managers.
• Staff can make quick inspections of their rooms and work areas using the Search Guidelines
• Custodians can inspect boiler rooms, cafeterias, hallways and lavatories using the Search Guidelines.
• If anything unusual is found, the person making the discovery should notify the emergency coordinator or administrator BUT DO NOTHING ELSE.

Decision to Evacuate

If the threat seems to warrant it, the Building Manager / Emergency Coordinator can decide to evacuate the building.

Otherwise, the Building Manager / Emergency Coordinator, together with the Police and Fire Department personnel, can evaluate search results. (See Suspected Bombs or Devices.)

Following reports from all searchers that no unfamiliar objects have been found, a senior administrator may decide not to evacuate the building and instead signal "all clear".

Clearing the Building and Surrounding Area

1. Notice to clear an office building can be made over a PA system or with the Fire Alarm. No notice need be given that the call may be a hoax.
2. A principal can establish an assembly location for staff to wait during delayed searches in cold or wet weather. That location will be used at the direction of the administrator after it has been determined to be safe.
3. Officials can go room to room to evacuate, stating "This is a drill".
4. IMPORTANT: Request employees to take their belongings (i.e. briefcases, notebook computers, etc.) from their offices when they leave the building, to avoid complicating the search.
5. Ask employees to exit the building directly and proceed to the agreed meeting point.
6. A decision to allow re-entry can be made jointly by senior on-site officers from the Fire Department, Police Department and/or Building Administration.

BOMB THREAT - Report of Threat

BOMB THREAT - Search Guidelines

BOMB THREAT - Suspicious Device Found

Emergency Training

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