When the alarm sounds, everyone else looks for the exit — and they look for the person in uniform to point the way. A fire, an earthquake, a gas leak, a power failure in a dark stairwell: in those first moments people don't read the posted map, they follow the security officer. Evacuation Procedures is the module that makes sure the direction you give is the right one, given calmly, fast enough to matter.
This is a 2-hour Continuing Education module in California's 32-hour mandatory skills training for security guards. It is delivered fully online and counts toward the hours you must complete after your guard card is issued.
BPC §7583.6 / 16 CCR §643
BSIS Skills Training — Evacuation Procedures
Business & Professions Code · California Code of Regulations
This module aligns with the BSIS Skills Training Course for Security Guards and the Evacuation Procedures topic outline published under 16 CCR §643: emergency procedures related to life, safety, and acts of nature; working knowledge of evacuation routes; and procedures during a power outage, including specific points of contact. It is part of the Whitestar Group Security Training Program.
How this module is built
The course is organized into three chapters, each ending where the work actually happens — in the field. The first chapter teaches you the life-safety priority that governs every emergency and the four jobs that are actually yours when one hits. The second turns the building's exits, stairs, and assembly points into a working route you can run in the dark. The third covers the power outage — when systems fail and people get scared — and the exact list of who you call and when.
Nothing in this module is legal, fire, or medical advice. Evacuation is governed by your post orders, the building's emergency action plan, your employer's policies, Cal/OSHA standards, and California law. You are not a firefighter or a rescuer — you guide and account for people. When the safe choice and the convenient choice conflict, the safe choice wins — every time.
Welcome · Chapter 2 of 6
Learning Objectives
~3 min read
Learning Objectives
After completing this module you will be able to respond to a building emergency the way a security officer should — putting life first, moving people along known routes to a safe assembly point, holding things together when the power fails, and calling the right people in the right order.
LO-1
Life-safety emergencies Ch 4
Apply the life-safety priority order and the alarm–alert–assist–account role to fire, earthquake, flood, gas leak, bomb threat, medical, and severe-weather emergencies.
LO-2
Evacuation routes Ch 5
Use primary and secondary routes, take the stairs and never the elevator in a fire, follow illuminated exit signage, and move occupants to a designated assembly point.
LO-3
Accounting & assisting occupants Ch 5
Account for occupants at the muster point, assist people with disabilities or mobility limits via areas of refuge, and decide between shelter-in-place and evacuation.
LO-4
Power outages & points of contact Ch 6
Manage a power outage — emergency lighting, fail-safe and fail-secure doors, calming occupants — and notify the correct points of contact in the correct order, then document.
Every learning objective is mapped to the chapter that teaches it and is tested on the assessment. If a question feels unfamiliar, return to the chapter the objective points to before guessing.
Welcome · Chapter 3 of 6
Course Outline
~3 min read
Course Outline
The three chapters of Evacuation Procedures move from the priority that governs every emergency, to the routes that get people out, to keeping order and calling for help when the building goes dark. Each chapter ends with field-ready takeaways and is tested on the assessment.
The life-before-property priority order, the officer's alarm–alert–assist–account role, and how it applies to fire, earthquake, flood, gas leak, bomb threat, medical, and severe-weather emergencies under the building's Cal/OSHA Emergency Action Plan.
5
Evacuation Routes Stairs · exits · assembly points · areas of refuge
Working knowledge of primary and secondary routes — stairs not elevators in a fire, illuminated exit signage, assembly/muster points, accounting for occupants, assisting people with disabilities, and the shelter-in-place versus evacuate decision.
6
Power Outages & Points of Contact Emergency lighting · access control · 911 · utility
Handling a power outage — emergency lighting, generator/UPS, fail-safe versus fail-secure doors, calming occupants — and the specific points of contact you notify and when, communicating when systems are down, and documenting the event.
T
Assessment & Certificate 10 T/F + 15 MC · 80% each
A two-section written assessment drawn from the four learning objectives. Pass both sections at 80% to complete the module and issue your verifiable Certificate of Completion.
Respond · Chapter 4 of 6
Emergencies & Life Safety
~26 min read
Emergencies don't arrive on schedule and they don't announce what they are. A fire alarm, a sudden lurch underfoot, the smell of gas, a caller who says there's a bomb in the building — each one is different, but your job in the first sixty seconds is almost always the same. This chapter teaches the one priority that governs every emergency and the four things that are actually yours to do.
Life Comes First — Always
Every emergency decision flows from one fixed order of priorities. Memorize it, because under stress it is the thing that keeps you from doing something brave and useless.
The order is always LIFE first, INCIDENT STABILIZATION second, PROPERTY last. People come before the building, the merchandise, the cash, and the equipment. Never re-enter a dangerous structure or delay an evacuation to protect property — property is replaceable and you are not.
The Officer's Four Jobs
You are not the fire department, the paramedic, or the bomb squad. Your value is being the trained person on scene who triggers the right response and moves people to safety. Think of it as four jobs, in order.
01
Alarm
Activate the alarm and call 911. Pull the fire alarm, hit the panic/duress button, or make the call — get the professional response moving before anything else.
02
Alert
Warn the people. Notify occupants clearly and calmly, notify your supervisor/dispatch, and tell arriving responders what you know.
03
Assist
Guide people out along known routes, help those who need it, and keep others away from the hazard — within the limits of your training and safety.
04
Account
At the assembly point, account for occupants and report who or what is unaccounted for to incoming responders.
What is not on that list: fighting a growing fire, searching a structure for the source of a gas smell, or playing hero. Those get officers killed and help no one.
Common Emergencies and Acts of Nature
The priority order and the four jobs apply across the board, but each emergency has a few specifics worth knowing.
Fire
Pull, call, evacuate
Activate the alarm, call 911, evacuate by the stairs, and stage to direct responders. Only attempt a small, contained fire with an extinguisher if trained and you have a clear exit at your back — never between you and the door.
Earthquake
Drop, cover, hold on
During shaking: drop, cover, and hold on — don't run outside through falling glass and façade. After it stops, evacuate by stairs, watch for gas leaks and aftershocks, and don't use elevators.
Flood / Water
Get to high ground
Move people up and away from rising water; never walk or drive through moving water. Watch for energized water near electrical equipment and report to the building engineer.
Gas Leak
Evacuate, no sparks
Evacuate immediately. Do not flip switches, use elevators, or use a radio/phone inside — any spark can ignite. Call the gas utility and 911 from outside; never hunt for the source.
Bomb Threat
Document, don't touch
Keep a caller talking and note everything; follow post orders on evacuation and call 911. Never touch a suspicious item, and avoid using a two-way radio near it.
Medical / Weather
Call and support
For medical: call 911, give only the aid you are trained and certified to give, and clear a path for EMS. For severe weather: follow shelter-in-place or evacuation orders per the building's plan.
You Don't Improvise This
None of these responses are things you make up on the day. They are written down before the emergency ever happens, and you are expected to know where they live.
Your emergency procedures come from three sources: your post orders, the building's written emergency plan, and the employer's Cal/OSHA Emergency Action Plan required under 8 CCR §3220 — which must cover emergency reporting, evacuation routes and procedures, and how to account for employees after an evacuation. Read it on day one, not on the day of the fire.
The through-line of this chapter: in any emergency, protect life first, do your four jobs, and follow the plan that was written before you ever clocked in.
Execute · Chapter 5 of 6
Evacuation Routes
~24 min read
An evacuation is only as good as the route people take to get out. When the alarm sounds, frightened occupants will head for the door they came in — often the wrong one, often a crowded one, sometimes a locked one. The officer who already knows every way out, in the dark, is the one who turns a panicked crowd into an orderly exit. This chapter is about owning your routes before you ever need them.
Know Your Routes Cold
You cannot direct people to an exit you've never walked. Learn your post's egress the way you learn its baseline: physically, on foot, on every floor.
Primary routes. The main, shortest, most obvious paths to the outside — know them for every area you cover.
Secondary routes. The backup for when the primary is blocked by fire, smoke, debris, or a crowd. Always have a plan B.
Exit signage. Follow the illuminated EXIT signs; they are required to stay lit on emergency power. Note where every one points.
Doors and exits. Know which doors are exterior egress, which are stairwell doors, and which are dead ends. Fire exit doors must remain unlocked from the inside and unobstructed.
Stairs, Not Elevators
The single most important rule of a building evacuation is about which vertical path you take.
In a fire, take the stairs — NEVER the elevator. Elevators can lose power and trap occupants between floors, open onto the fire floor, or act as a chimney for smoke. Use the marked exit stairwells, which are built to be a protected path out. Elevators are only for firefighter use under their control.
Do · Don't · Report
Running an evacuation has a clear right way and wrong way.
Do
Direct people calmly and firmly toward the nearest safe exit.
Move with the flow, sweeping people along the route.
Send everyone to the designated assembly / muster point.
Keep routes clear — prop nothing, block nothing.
Don't
Use or allow the elevator during a fire.
Let people go back for belongings, cars, or coworkers.
Send people toward the hazard, smoke, or a blocked exit.
Re-enter a building to search beyond your training and safety.
Report
Anyone unaccounted for at the muster point.
People left in an area of refuge awaiting rescue.
Blocked exits, hazards, or routes you couldn't use.
The headcount status, handed to incoming responders.
Assembly Points and Accounting
Getting people out is only half the job; the other half is knowing they're all out. Move everyone to the designated assembly point — far enough from the building to be clear of collapse, falling glass, and responder access lanes. There, account for occupants: use floor wardens, sign-in sheets, or visitor logs to compare who was inside against who made it out. A single name unaccounted for changes everything for the fire department, so report it immediately. Keep people at the assembly point — the danger isn't over just because they're outside, and a wandering crowd can't be counted.
Assisting People Who Can't Self-Evacuate
Not everyone can take the stairs. People who use wheelchairs, have mobility limits, or are injured cannot be carried down a crowded stairwell by an untrained officer without risk to everyone.
Whitestar Field Example
The visitor who couldn't take the stairs
A fire alarm empties a four-story office. On the third floor, a visitor in a wheelchair can't use the stairwell. The right move: the officer helps her into the area of refuge — the protected landing inside the stairwell enclosure designed for exactly this — confirms the two-way communication device works, and then reports her exact location to the fire department at the assembly point so they can bring her down. The officer does not attempt to carry her down four flights alone. Accounting for her and telling responders where she is gets her out safely.
Shelter-in-Place vs. Evacuate
Evacuation is not always the safe move. Sometimes the hazard is outside — an active threat, a chemical release downwind, severe weather — and leaving the building puts people in more danger than staying. Shelter-in-place means moving occupants to a safe interior area, securing it, and waiting for the all-clear. The decision between sheltering and evacuating is set by the building's emergency plan, your post orders, and the direction of responding authorities — not by an officer's hunch. When in doubt, contact your supervisor and follow the plan. Either way, the goal is identical: people in the safest place, and every one of them accounted for.
Execute · Chapter 6 of 6
Power Outages & Points of Contact
~22 min read
The lights go out. The HVAC winds down to silence. Somewhere a fire door clicks, an elevator stops between floors, and a hundred people who were fine a moment ago start to get nervous. A power outage is rarely the emergency itself — but it's the moment a calm, prepared officer is worth the most, and an unprepared one makes everything worse. This chapter is about holding the building together in the dark and knowing exactly who to call.
When the Power Fails
A blackout creates a predictable set of problems. Know them before they happen.
Emergency lighting and exit signs should switch on automatically and run on battery for a limited time — know how long, and carry your own flashlight as the real backup.
Generators and UPS may carry life-safety systems (fire alarm, emergency lights, some doors) but rarely the whole building; know what stays on and what doesn't on your post.
Elevators may stop and trap occupants — locate them, communicate with anyone inside, and report it; do not attempt a rescue yourself.
Calm occupants. A confident, visible officer giving simple instructions prevents the panic that causes injuries. Keep people in place and informed unless evacuation is ordered.
Doors That Fail Open vs. Fail Secure
Access control behaves in ways that surprise officers when the power drops, and it matters for both safety and security.
Fail-Safe
Unlocks on power loss
Doors on life-safety egress paths are designed to fail open / unlock when power is lost, so no one is trapped inside. Good for escape — but it means areas you normally keep secure are now open. Watch them.
Fail-Secure
Locks on power loss
Other doors are designed to fail locked to protect assets when power is lost. Good for security — but make sure no one needing to evacuate is trapped behind one. Know which doors on your post do which.
During an outage, increase your patrol of the now-unsecured fail-safe doors, verify no one is trapped behind fail-secure ones, and report any door behaving the wrong way.
Who You Call, and When
The most important thing you do in an outage — or any incident — is notify the right people in the right order. Memorize this sequence; under stress, a list is what keeps you from forgetting a step.
01
911 — life or fire emergency
If there is a fire, injury, trapped person, or immediate danger, call 911 first. A blackout with a medical or fire component is a 911 call, every time, before anything else.
02
Supervisor / Dispatch
Notify your supervisor or security dispatch immediately. They activate the broader response, send backup, and coordinate. They should always know what's happening on your post.
03
Building Engineer / Facilities
For the outage itself — generators, elevators, emergency systems, HVAC — the building engineer or facilities team is your fix-it contact. They restore systems and tell you what's running.
04
Utility Company
Report the outage to the electric (or gas) utility per post orders, or confirm it's already reported. They give restoration estimates you can relay to occupants.
05
Fire / EMS as needed
If conditions escalate — trapped occupants, a medical issue, smoke — fire and EMS respond via your 911 call. Stage to meet them and brief them on what you know.
Communicating When Systems Are Down
Power loss can take phones, intercoms, and even some radio repeaters with it. Have a backup plan: a charged cell phone, a handheld radio on battery, and physical knowledge of the building so you can relay messages on foot if you must. Keep a printed contact list and post-orders copy somewhere you can read by flashlight — the digital one fails with the power.
Remember the gas-leak exception: if the outage is paired with a gas smell, do not use a radio, cell phone, or any switch inside the building — any spark can ignite. Evacuate, then call from a safe distance outside.
Document Everything
When the lights come back, the incident isn't over — the report is the last job. Write down what you observed and did: the time the power failed and was restored, which systems went down, every notification you made and when, anyone trapped or assisted, any door that failed the wrong way, and the outcome. Observe, document, report is the spine of the whole job, and the incident report is the record that protects the people, the client, and you. If it isn't written down, as far as anyone later can prove, it didn't happen.