Chief Warden responsibilities
On receipt of a bomb threat
- Contact the Police. Advise them of the nature and content of the threat. Police may not attend.
- Notify the ECO so that the emergency plan can be implemented.
- Contact Executive Management and advise them of the nature and content of the Management may provide information of similar or past instances.
- Collate information from the threat and the advice from Police and Management, then:
- Categorise the threat as either Specific or Non-Specific
- Decide on course of action detailed below
Evacuation options
After assessing all available information, there are four courses of action to consider.
- Take no further action. Although this may be tempting when receiving a call from children or someone seemingly intoxicated, however if there is the slightest doubt then another course of action should be considered.
- Discreet Search. Considered if the threat has been assessed as low, this option consists of conducting a search of the premises without an evacuation of occupants. If an object is found, then an evacuation can be conducted.
- Partial Evacuation and Search. Considered if the threat is assessed as moderate but there is no reason to believe an explosion is imminent. This option consists of conducting a search of the exits and Assembly Area, evacuating all occupants except essential staff and search teams, then conducting a thorough search. If an object matching the description or deemed suspicious is found, then an evacuation will be ordered.
- Full Evacuation. Considered if the threat is assessed as high as in such cases as the possibility of an imminent explosion. This option consists of conducting a complete evacuation of all occupants. Prior to an evacuation, exits shall be searched and an alternate Assembly Area chosen and searched.
Search procedures
Contact and brief Wardens of the situation. This can be done by calling ECO members to a meeting or individually via telephone depending on time restrictions. Never use loudspeaker or PA system during bomb threat situations unless evacuating.
- Instruct ECO members to conduct a visual search of their designated areas and report back the results of their search in an agreed time
- Organise a search of the exits, Assembly Area and alternate Assembly
- Restrict access to and from the building while the search is being carried
- At the conclusion of the search a debrief with ECO members shall be
On discovery of a suspicious object
- Follow procedures for Suspicious Objects.
- If necessary, conduct an evacuation.
- Contact Police and advise them of the location and description of the object found.
After the emergency
- Complete an incident/injury report on Tickit on Demand.
- Liaise with Chief Financial Officer and Risk and Compliance Manager to determine required external reporting. The death of a student, staff member or visitor:
- is a Reportable Incident (per Standard 7 of the Registration Standards for Non-Government Schools) and must be reported as such to the Director General of the Department of Education (via Non-Government School Registration).
- is a Notifiable Incident and must be reported to WorkSafe WA.