A fire alarm is a “threat alarm.”

Back in the day, a fire alarm meant immediately exiting the building, and mustering at a pre-determined site. Things have changed. Now, a fire alarm may lure you into an active shooter’s sights. Read on…we’re going to show you that fire alarms don’t mean impending gloom and doom.

In the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School incident, gunfire on the first floor caused a fire alarm activation. Students on the third floor didn’t hear the initial shots and evacuated down hallways per standard fire alarm procedures. When they heard gunshots on the second floor, they retreated back into third floor classrooms.

Two students at the Arkansas Westside Middle School pulled a fire alarm and shot students with rifles as the school evacuated. In both cases, fire alarms lured students from safe classrooms into a hot zone.

We learned about guns and fire alarms during an AS360 Active Shooter Survival Workshop demonstration. Namely, firing a blank gun created smoke that triggered a smoke detector.

Clearly, it’s time to do a security assessment of fire alarm procedures at schools, religious institutions, or offices. In addition, rethink your personal fire evacuation plan for theaters, restaurants, or hotels. A fire alarm may be a weapon to lure you into an active assailant event, but you’re not helpless without options. You must respond to fire alarms, but there are ways to improve response safety:

1. Huddle with local fire and law enforcement officials to ensure everyone’s on the same sheet of music. There must be common ground here.

2. Continue to use traditional fire evacuation procedures, because a fire alarm is a Threat Alarm. If the door is not hot and there’s no smoke or fire indicators, listen for warnings or gunshots and prepare for active assailant protective actions such as Get Out, Get Down, or Get Ready. 

3. Designate an evacuation muster area separate from parked cars, dumpsters/bins, or sheds that may conceal threatening devices. Appoint lookouts to ensure 360 degree situational awareness in the muster area.  

4. Train your organization on the new fire alarm procedures, and conduct drills to ensure proficiency. Emphasize that situational awareness means changing directions and purpose. Immediately initiate Get Out, Get Down, Get Ready (3Gs of Survival™) if you realize you’re being lured into a trap,

Key Takeaway: As a former Atlanta Fire Battalion Chief, I warn you that firefighters are uncomfortable with delaying fire evacuations, but they also realize that it’s time to revise the old tried-and-true fire evacuation rules. Take action; change your fire alarm policies.  We are not advocating a delayed response to fire alarms, just a purposeful response with continuous situational awareness.A fire alarm is a Threat Alarm.

What are your thoughts?

Please follow and like us:
onpost_follow
Please follow and like us:

About Hank Christen

Dr. Hank Christen was an Atlanta Fire Department Battalion Chief, Emergency Manager, and Director of Emergency Services for Okaloosa County, Florida. He has responded to multiple disasters in his career and was the Incident Commander for Hurricane Erin, Opal, Earl, and Georges, and responded to Hurricane Andrew (Miami), and Hurricane Marilyn (U.S. Virgin Islands). He co-authored eight books on crisis management and the incident command system in the disaster response field. Dr. Christen has served on a team that evaluated a biological non-traditional syndromic surveillance program during the 2000 George Bush Presidential Inauguration. Dr. Christen has also responded with a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (FL-1 DMAT) to the 2001 World Trade Center Attack, and served as team commander during the team’s deployment to the Atlanta Olympic Bombing. Additionally. Dr. Christen has served on a panel that evaluated the medical response to the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2014. Dr. Hank Christen EdD currently is responsible for developing curriculum, technical writing, and instructing courses with Active Shooter 360, LLC. The materials developed and taught by Dr. Christen include Active Shooter Awareness, Threat Intervention Practices, Incident Command System (ICS), Crisis Decision Making, and Emergency Operations Planning.

Leave a Reply