The Role of Security Guards During A Fire

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there were almost 100,000 nonresidential building fires in 2016. The leading causes were cooking, carelessness, arson and electrical and heating malfunction. The dollar loss was over $2 billion. An important role of business security guard staff is to be on the lookout for potential fire hazards and to alert authorities when a fire breaks out.

Fire Prevention. Business security guards, especially where combustible items are located near heat sources, play an important role as they patrol the facility and monitor security camera feeds looking for potential fire hazards. They are often responsible for making sure all fire extinguishers are up to date and other fire prevention measures are working properly.

When Fire Occurs. If a fire starts in an office or manufacturing business, security guards take on numerous tasks. Their first job is to confirm where the fire is located and to call the fire department with details. If the fire appears containable, they may also attempt to use fire extinguishers to damp down the fire until help arrives.

Evacuating The Premises. Another role of a business' security guards is to conduct orderly evacuations from the affected building, directing employees to emergency exits and escorting them to safety through emergency exit routes to a designated meeting location. They can help employees down stairwells, prevent the use of elevators and once out of harm's way, take a headcount of employees to ensure all have been accounted for. By doing so, fire fighters can place their resources and efforts to extinguishing the fire.

The security guard company and its guards must be part of all emergency planning including evacuation drills. If a fire does occur, company staff and guards will work together to mitigate damage and injury.

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