Importance of Internal Communication

At every security post, a written set of post orders or instructions should be made available for the security officer to reference whenever a question or problem surfaces. It is essential that a security officer read these post orders frequently to be certain they know what to do during an emergency. The following information is to be included in each set of internal communication information.

List of Names And Phone Numbers Of Client Staff (Post Orders And Emergency Contact List)

This information should be sorted by various de­partments, listing the name of each person, their title, and the different ways or means they can be reached at (this will usually include cell phone numbers, pager numbers, e-mail addresses, and possibly home phone numbers). This list should easily show when the person should be contacted and in what order they should be called. Usually the names of the various clients are contacted in some order of pref­erence or reporting structure. It is very important for the security officer to know the proper procedure for calling the client contact list. In some cases, employees alternate who is to report to the facility or to respond to an emergency or incident. If security contacts someone out of order, the cli­ent may have to pay additional overtime. Often, the contract security provider will be required to reimburse the client for this inadvertent mistake. Therefore, be sure to know the names and titles of the client personnel who are to be con­tacted after normal business hours.

Under no circumstances should a security officer ever provide the personal telephone number of a client con­tact to anyone without explicit prior consent of the client. If someone calls and asks for a person’s phone number from the client contact list, you should ask the caller for his/her name, phone number they can be reached at, and if needed, a short message. Let the caller know that you will pass the information and message along to the client contact. By letting the client know someone has called by providing the client contact the caller’s name and phone number, you will have provided proper customer service while maintaining the confidentiality of the phone call list.

In some cases, a security officer may only need to call one person from the client contact list. In other situations, 5-10 people may need to be contacted. Prior to calling, it is essential the security officer have all pertinent information to relay to the client contact:

1. Type of incident
2. Time the incident was discovered
3. Steps taken to minimize the problem
4. Names of other persons who have been contacted
5. Advise if anyone has responded to the site, such as maintenance, facility personnel, emergency personnel, etc.
6. Advise if there are any injuries, and if so, the extent of those injuries

Upon completion of the client notifications, it is im­portant that the contacts of your employer (contract secu­rity provider) receive notification of what has happened and what steps have been initiated.