Programme overview
Introduction:
Bomb threat management and suspicious item response is a 5-day course for security, duty management, reception and mailroom leads in malls, hotels, hospitals and government buildings, ending with a Facility Bomb Threat and Suspicious Item Response Plan for a case organisation. Hoax calls, abandoned bags and unexpected parcels force decisions within minutes, and facilities without a rehearsed procedure either evacuate people toward danger or ignore a real device. Nominees already run security shifts or front-of-house operations, and the course is taught through timed tabletop drills. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this bomb threat management course.
Course Objectives:
- Receive a bomb threat by telephone, message, letter or social media and record it on a bomb threat checklist while preserving evidence
- Assess the credibility of a threat using location specificity, pattern, visible items and camera evidence, and select a proportionate response option
- Apply the HOT protocol to an unattended item and carry out confirm, clear, communicate and control actions with a cordon
- Decide between invacuation to protected spaces, partial evacuation and full evacuation, and route occupants away from secondary hazards
- Organise trained search teams, search sectors and mailroom screening routines that find items without touching or moving them
- Coordinate hand-over to police and bomb disposal responders, manage media and staff messaging, and run tabletop drills that test the plan
Target Audience:
- Staff responsible for leading security shifts and control rooms in malls, hotels and hospitals
- Staff responsible for duty management and incident decisions outside office hours in public buildings
- Staff responsible for reception desks, switchboards and call centres that may receive threat calls
- Staff responsible for mailrooms, loading bays and goods-in areas that handle parcels and deliveries
- Staff responsible for building search teams, floor wardens and fire marshals during security incidents
Course Outline:
Day 1: Bomb Threat Landscape, Hoax Patterns and Facility Readiness Review
- Bomb Threat Types by Telephone, Letter, Email and Social Media
- Hoax Caller Motives and Disruption Tactics Case Review
- Device Placement Patterns in Malls, Hotels and Hospitals
- Duty Manager Decision Authority and Escalation Chart
- Facility Readiness Gap Assessment Against a Bomb Threat Checklist
Day 2: Threat Call Handling, Credibility Assessment and Response Options
- Bomb Threat Checklist Completion During a Live Call
- Caller Number, Recording and Written Threat Evidence Preservation
- Credibility Assessment Matrix Using Location Specificity and Threat Pattern
- Response Option Ladder from Heightened Vigilance to Full Evacuation
- Threat Decision Log and Rationale Recording Template
Day 3: Suspicious Item Assessment, Cordons and Building Search Teams
- HOT Protocol Assessment of Unattended Bags and Parcels
- Confirm, Clear, Communicate and Control Action Sequence
- Cordon Placement, Rendezvous Point and Hand-Held Radio Discipline
- Search Team Pairing, Sector Cards and Search Sequence Plans
- Mailroom Screening Routine for Letters and Suspicious Packages
Day 4: Invacuation, Evacuation Routing, Responder Liaison and Problem Cases
- Protected Space Selection for Invacuation Inside Public Buildings
- Evacuation Route and Assembly Area Choice Against Secondary Devices
- Police and Bomb Disposal Responder Hand-Over Briefing Sheet
- Media, Social Media and Staff Messaging During a Threat
- Problem Cases Involving Hospitals, Patients and Vulnerable Occupants
Day 5: Tabletop Simulation Drills and the Facility Response Plan
- Timed Tabletop Drill on a Shopping Mall Hoax Call
- Timed Tabletop Drill on a Hotel Lobby Unattended Bag
- Timed Tabletop Drill on a Government Mailroom Suspicious Parcel
- Drill Debrief Scoring and Corrective Action Register
- Facility Bomb Threat and Suspicious Item Response Plan Completion
Skills You Will Gain:
- Threat Call Handling
- Threat Credibility Assessment
- Suspicious Item Evaluation
- Cordon Management
- Search Team Coordination
- Mailroom Screening
- Invacuation Decision Making
- Tabletop Drill Facilitation
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a Facility Bomb Threat and Suspicious Item Response Plan to the head of security and the facility general manager
- Choose between vigilance, search, invacuation and evacuation within minutes and record the reasons for the choice
- Avoid needless closures from hoax calls and the greater harm of moving occupants toward a second device
- Coach receptionists, search teams and mailroom staff using the checklist, sector cards and drill scripts from the course
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant presents the Facility Bomb Threat and Suspicious Item Response Plan to the head of security, the general manager and the front-of-house leads. They use it to assign decision authority, equip switchboards with the checklist, set search sectors and protected spaces, and agree hand-over arrangements with police and bomb disposal responders. After the first live incident or drill, the facility should review the decision log, timings and debrief findings, then update search sectors, cordon points and staff briefings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a bomb threat management and suspicious item response course?
Participants should already lead security shifts, duty management, reception or mailroom work in a public facility. No explosives knowledge is needed. Bringing anonymised floor plans, current threat procedures or past incident logs makes the tabletop drills closer to their own site.
How does bomb threat management and suspicious item response differ from a counter-terrorism or emergency planning course?
It concentrates on the first minutes of a threat at one facility: the call, the item, the search and the move-or-stay decision. Counter-terrorism strategy, explosives storage and general fire evacuation planning appear only as background.
Why do bomb threat management plans include invacuation as well as evacuation?
Moving people outside can place them nearer an unseen device or another hazard. Invacuation to protected spaces away from glass and outer walls keeps occupants safer when the item location is unknown or lies near exits.
What do participants take back from the bomb threat management and suspicious item response course?
Participants take back a Facility Bomb Threat and Suspicious Item Response Plan for a case organisation, with a decision chart, threat checklist, search sector cards, cordon and protected space choices, mailroom routine and drill scripts ready to adapt to their own building.