Bomb Evacuation Procedures for Schools and Businesses

Bomb evacuation policies and training are needed by businesses, schools and government facilities. Evacuations must be carried out efficiently when there is a bomb threat or when a suspicious device is discovered. Local authorities must be contacted immediately to ensure that trained responders arrive quickly at the threatened site. To make sure this is done, a plan must be in place and people must be trained to carry it out.

Bomb evacuation policies and exercises require formulating a plan for all people at the site to follow. “Draw up, ideally with advice from your local police Counter Terrorist Security Adviser, a clear and accessible list of actions to take,” advises Continuity Central.com. Print out the bomb evacuation policies and place them on a wall where they can easily be seen.

Bomb evacuation policies and exercises include training individuals who may potentially receive a bomb threat. Staff should be assigned roles so that they know what to do and who they should contact in case of an emergency. Practice procedures by having drills. Hand out information on bomb evacuation policies and procedures. Assign code words to those that will be involved in the exercises so that they do not cause others to become panicked.

Bomb evacuation procedures and exercises include procedures for finding the bomb. It is important for those involved in evacuation exercises to attempt to learn the device’s location so that people can evacuate in the opposite direction. Learn if the device is inside or outside the building if possible. Have a plan in place for making sure the bomb squad is contacted.

According to Monterey.ca.us, “A suspicious device should not be disturbed. The bomb squad will be called in to handle the device. If a device is located, the County Emergency Coordinator should be notified.” The sheriff’s department should take charge of the threatened site and work with the local police department to dispose of the device.

When a bomb is located, the area must be evacuated right away. The device should not be handled by those who are untrained to do so. Once the premises have been vacated, individuals should wait for instructions from emergency responders.

Bomb policies and exercises include waiting until after emergency response personnel have thoroughly evaluated the building before the manager of the site can decide whether to re-enter the building. Approximately 15 minutes should be given to check the premises for a device.