ISP Crisis Management & Emergency Response 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An industrial security professional receives a bomb threat call. The FIRST priority is to:
- Immediately evacuate the entire facility without delay
- Keep the caller talking and gather as much information as possible (Correct answer)
- Call law enforcement before speaking further with the caller
- Transfer the call to senior management immediately
Correct answer: Keep the caller talking and gather as much information as possible
Keeping the caller talking maximizes information gathered via a bomb threat checklist, which law enforcement uses to assess credibility and respond appropriately.
Question 2: Which federal regulation requires industrial facilities to develop and maintain Emergency Response Plans for hazardous chemical releases?
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 (PSM)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 (HAZWOPER)
- EPA 40 CFR Part 68 (RMP)
- Both OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 and EPA 40 CFR Part 68 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Both OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 and EPA 40 CFR Part 68
HAZWOPER (1910.120) governs emergency response operations for hazardous substance releases, while EPA's RMP (40 CFR 68) requires separate emergency response program elements for covered facilities.
Question 3: During a crisis, 'rumor control' is best managed by:
- Prohibiting all employee communications during the incident
- Establishing a Joint Information Center with consistent, timely messaging (Correct answer)
- Delegating media relations to individual department heads
- Releasing partial information in stages to control panic
Correct answer: Establishing a Joint Information Center with consistent, timely messaging
A Joint Information Center coordinates consistent messaging from all responding agencies, reducing information gaps that allow harmful rumors to spread.
Question 4: In industrial emergency planning, a 'tabletop exercise' is MOST useful for:
- Testing physical evacuation routes and timing
- Discussing scenario-based decisions without deploying resources (Correct answer)
- Training first responders in hands-on emergency techniques
- Evaluating equipment readiness and maintenance status
Correct answer: Discussing scenario-based decisions without deploying resources
Tabletop exercises allow key personnel to verbally walk through their roles in a scenario, identifying plan gaps without the cost or disruption of a full-scale drill.
Question 5: The primary difference between 'crisis management' and 'consequence management' in industrial security is:
- Crisis management addresses root causes; consequence management handles legal liability
- Crisis management focuses on resolving the immediate threat; consequence management mitigates the effects (Correct answer)
- Crisis management is performed by private security; consequence management by government agencies only
- There is no meaningful distinction between the two terms
Correct answer: Crisis management focuses on resolving the immediate threat; consequence management mitigates the effects
Crisis management resolves the immediate emergency event while consequence management addresses the downstream effects on people, environment, and operations.
Question 6: Which category of emergency notification system is MOST critical for alerting off-site communities to an industrial chemical release?
- Internal PA system announcement
- Outdoor warning sirens combined with Emergency Alert System broadcasts (Correct answer)
- Employee text message trees
- Posted notices at facility entrances
Correct answer: Outdoor warning sirens combined with Emergency Alert System broadcasts
Outdoor warning sirens combined with EAS broadcasts reach the surrounding community rapidly regardless of whether residents are indoors or monitoring media.
Question 7: When a crisis communication plan is activated, the designated spokesperson should:
- Speculate on causes to appear knowledgeable to the press
- Provide only confirmed facts and bridge to key messages (Correct answer)
- Decline all media contact until the incident is fully resolved
- Allow multiple executives to speak independently to different outlets
Correct answer: Provide only confirmed facts and bridge to key messages
Spokespeople must stick to confirmed facts, avoid speculation, and use message bridging techniques to maintain control and credibility during crisis communications.
ISP Crisis Management & Emergency Response 3
An industrial security professional receives a bomb threat call.
The FIRST priority is to: