Bomb Threat Procedure

1. Introduction

1.1. Threats concerning bombs or explosive items, whether genuine or false are regrettable
hazards of modern day living. Hospitals, due to their open nature, are particularly at risk.

2. Purpose

2.1. To support and inform staff of the procedure when dealing with packages, letters, items or
devices whether delivered through the post, by hand or left on Trust premises that may be
considered a suspected explosive device and telephone threats. Whilst the risk of an
individual being caught up in a bomb-related incident is low, Devon Partnership NHS Trust
has a responsibility under the ‘Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations’ to
minimise that risk.

2.2. This procedure is designed to help staff meet these requirement through the development
of realistic plans for deterring a terrorist attack or minimising the damage of such an attack
occurring.

2.3. The overall aims of this procedure will be to:

 Save lives and minimise injuries

 To protect property from damage
 To preserve the essential functions of the Trust.

2.4. In all cases of bomb threats or suspected packages the police should be notified
immediately using the 999 services. The staff member making the call should make it clear
that a suspected device has been located or that a bomb threat has been received. The
person who finds the suspect device or received a bomb threat should be available for
interview by the police or other authority expert.

2.5. Each telephone threat, written message or other means of communication, alleging that a
bomb has been placed MUST BE CONSIDERED SERIOUS and should immediately be
investigated.

3. Duties

3.1. Directors will:

 Be responsible for ensuring their directorate has a business continuity plan in place in
line with this procedure, for dealing with such situations.

 Directors on site will liaise with the Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge during
an evacuation as detailed in section 8 and will give the decision to reoccupy the building
when they feel it is safe to do so.

3.2. Business Partners / Departmental Managers will:

Bomb Threat Procedure

1
  Be responsible for ensuring their directorate / department or ward has a plan in place
and in line with this procedure, for dealing with such situations.

 They should be familiar with the contents of this procedure so that they are able to
respond in a calm and controlled manner and initiate the correct procedure for
response.

 Assist with the evacuation of persons, should it be deemed necessary by the Site
Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge.

3.3. Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge will:

 Facilitate the evacuation and continued care of people using Trust services for the
duration and work with the Director as detailed in Section 8.

3.4. Line Managers will:

 Ensure that all employees are aware of this procedure and know how to respond should
they receive a bomb threat by telephone or discover a suspect package.

 Identify evacuation points / places of safety as outlined in this procedure for all persons
who may be in the area at the same time of such a threat being received.

 Familiarise themselves with the contents of this procedure so that they are able to
respond in a calm and controlled manner and initiate the correct procedure for
response.

 Assist with the evacuation of persons, should it be deemed necessary by the Site Nurse
/ Director on-call Manager.

3.5. Employees will:

 Familiarise themselves with the contents of this procedure so that they are able to
respond in a calm and controlled manner and initiate the correct procedure.

 Assist with the evacuation of persons, should it be deemed necessary by the Director/
on-call Manager.

 If you suspect that a device in your possession is suspicious, you must

contact the police immediately.

4. Identification and awareness

4.1. There is a constant threat posed by bombs and devices disguised in or arriving in letters,
packages or parcel. Postal bombs can come in a variety of shapes and sizes and may be
large or small. Devices the size of paperback books have inflicted some of the most
damaging results.
4.2. Pointers to look for in determining whether a postal package or letter is suspect and
threats concerning bombs or explosive items normally fall into five main categories:

 Letter and parcel bombs are usually sent through the post and normally directed
against specific organisations or personnel. These bombs will generally contain only
small amounts of explosives. In general they are designed to be victim operated.

 Anti-Personnel bombs are used for indiscriminate attacks on people, with the aim
being to maim or kill as many individuals as possible. These bombs can vary in size
and may contain nails or other shrapnel to maximise effect.

 Anti-Property bombs are used to create the maximum damage to buildings and are
especially dangerous in modern high-rise and glass-fronted buildings. These bombs
can vary in size from just a few pounds to 500lbs or more and can be hidden in places
such as waste bins or like containers, cars, lorries etc.

 Incendiaries are usually simple devices containing anything from petrol to more
sophisticated materials that allow longer and fiercer burning properties. These can
range in size from a cigarette packet upwards.

 Hoax bomb threat calls are designed to disrupt the workings of the organisation and
cause panic among staff.

4.3. Bombs or ‘Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’S) may be used by those wishing to cause
fear, economic loss, disruption or personal injury. Bombs themselves may fall into one or
more of the following types:

 Explosives – inflicts damage by blast wave with secondary damage inflicted by debris
such as flying glass.

 Fragmentation – inflicts damage by using an explosive to propel small

object contained in the device such as ball bearings, nails and glass.

 Incendiary – inflicts damage by igniting a fuel contained in the device to cause fire
damage.

 Chemical – inflicts damage by mixing chemical to either cause an explosion or release

of toxic substance such as gas.

 Biological, radiological and nuclear – inflicts damage by dispersing an agent into the
environment to be inhaled or to coat surfaces which will cause injury by exposure to
infectious viruses or radiation poisoning.

5. General Guidelines
5.1. The following should to be used as general guidance should a threat occur. This allows
staff to respond effectively and therefore increase safety to staff, visitors and people who
use Trust services.

5.2. Bombs or devices are easily disguised and are designed to inflict maximum damage by
blast or fire. They can be concealed in normal everyday items and unless prior notice is
given, individuals are not aware of their existence until the bomb activates.

5.3. In this respect, staff awareness plays a huge part in detecting and dealing with bombs
threats.

5.4. Whilst very few staff will have been formally trained in dealing with a bomb scenario, all
staff are encouraged to report persons behaving in a suspicious manner or suspicious
items being left in or about the hospital. Common sense plays a big part in the initial
actions taken when dealing with suspicious items.

5.5. If an object is discovered and its presence cannot be readily explained, it should be treated
as suspicious. In such circumstances the object should be treated as a genuine device.
There is no such thing as a possible suspect bomb –an object is either suspicious or
not suspicious.

A SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE MUST NOT BE TOUCHED OR MOVED

5.6. Immediate actions

5.6.1. DO NOT TOUCH, move or disturb the object.

5.6.2. Inform the police by dialling 999 and your Line Manager. Give your name, location
and description of the suspicious object and its exact location.

5.6.3. Inform the switchboard at reception and inform them of the situation and that you
have alerted the emergency services. Reception will contact the Site Nurse/Building
Manager/Nurse in Charge who will make the decision raise the alarm and evacuate
the building or area. If your service is hosted in another organisations premise, their
switchboard must also be notified for them to activate their own procedures, e.g.
Ocean View, Moorland View, Meadow View, Kestrel and the Clinic Hub would
advise switchboard at North Devon District Hospital, Haytor, Beech, CRHT, Liaison,
Clinic Hub etc would advise switchboard at Torbay Hospital. Neighbouring sites
should also be informed for instance Wonford House hospital would advise the
switchboard at Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital and the Hospice.

5.6.4. Clear all personnel away from the immediate area. AND LEAVE DOORS OPEN.

5.7. If the decision to evacuate the building or area is made the following distances are given as
a guide to evacuation:

 Suspicious device/package - at least 100 metres

 Suspect cars - at least 200 metres
 Suspect vans or lorries - at least 400 metres.
5.8. Evacuated personnel should move to a location ideally that ensures a solid wall between
them and the suspicious item and not to locate where large areas of glass are in place.

5.9. Prevent radio/telephone transmissions within 50 metres of the suspect package. This
includes mobile phones and pagers which should not switched off in the vicinity of the
package, instead they should be removed from the area.

5.10. If directed, utilise any available manpower to set up a cordon around the suspected area
out of line of sight of the item.

5.11. Make written notes and a sketch plan of the suspicious item’s location as soon as possible.

5.12. The person who made the discovery and who initiated the alert is to remain in the area,
but outside of the cordon to brief Police upon their arrival with the notes and plan.

5.13. Attempts to establish the owner of the object or the identity of the person who placed
it, should take place, but should NOT take precedence over immediate response drills.

6. Dealing with telephone threats of a bomb

6.1. Historically it is the switchboard who most frequently receives a telephone bomb threat, but
any member of staff with a direct dial facility might also receive a threat.

6.2. It is also not unusual for “terrorists” to issue a telephone warning to an organisation not
immediately affected by the bomb (i.e. a third party).

6.3. To assist both switchboard staff and any other staff members who may receive a bomb
threat call the following guidelines should be observed:

6.4. Call taken by Switchboard

6.4.1. If you can, record the call.

6.4.2. Try to obtain as much information as possible from the caller using the Bomb Threat
Action Sheet – make as many notes as required.

 Report the call to the police immediately

 Contact the Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge and inform them of
the incident
 Complete the second part of the Bomb Threat Action Sheet
 Evacuate when instructed to do so.

6.5. Call taken by staff on direct dial

 6.5.1. If you can, record the call. Try to obtain as much information as possible from the
caller using the Bomb Threat Action Sheet – make as many notes as required. Try
to record it word for word.

 Contact switchboard and inform them of the threat.

 Complete the second part of the Bomb Threat Action Sheet
 Evacuate when instructed to do so.

If member of the public/patients are present, care should be taken to avoid undue panic.

6.6. Switchboard actions upon receipt of call from a member of staff

 Contact the police immediately

 Contact the Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge
 Evacuate when instructed to do so.
 Contact the Risk Manager and the Local Security Management Specialist.

6.6.1. Complete the Bomb Threat Action Sheet (if not already completed by staff members
receiving the bomb threat).

6.6.2. All staff are potentially able to receive a telephone threat and should be aware of the
Bomb Threat Action Sheet and the guidelines for dealing with telephone threats.

This guidance and the forms should be made accessible to all staff.
7. Postal bombs
7.1. Postal bombs may also inflict death or injury and gives the “terrorist” the advantage of
being able to “post and forget”.

7.2. In large organisations like hospitals, post normally travels through a post room or receipts
and distribution centres. Staffs in these areas need to be especially aware of what to look
for and how to deal with any suspicious items they may discover. However, since post is
distributed to all departments in the hospital all staff should be aware of the following
guidance:

Are you or your department expecting a package of this description?

If not any one of the following signs should alert a member of staff to the possibility that a
letter or package may contain explosives:

 Grease marks on the envelope or wrapping

 An unusual odour such as marzipan or machine oil
 Visible wiring or in tin foil, especially if the envelope or package is damaged
 The envelope or package may feel heavy for its size
 The weight distribution of the package may be uneven.
 The contents may seem rigid in a flexible wrapping.
 It may have been delivered by hand or from an unknown source or posted from
an unusual location
  If a package, it may have excessive wrapping
 There may be poor or unusual writing, spelling or typing
 There may be too many stamps for the weight of the package.

The package will have travelled through the postal system and so will be comparatively
safe until tampered with.

7.3. All staff that might be required to open mail

7.3.1. All staff that might be required to open mail should be made aware of the following
guidelines:

Action for dealing with a package that may contain an explosive device

 Put the package/letter down gently and if possible in the centre of the floor
 Evacuate the immediate area and raise the alarm follow the Immediate actions as
described in section 5.6
 Inform the police via the 999 system
 DO NOT place the package into anything (e.g. water, waste bin) or place anything on top of
it
 Do not tamper with or open the package
 Establish, if possible, whether the person to whom the package is addressed exists and if
so, are they expecting an unusual package
 Make notes of the incident including a description of the article and its location within the
room (e.g. size, shape and any lettering)
 When evacuating, leave the doors open if possible.

7.4. Action for dealing with a package that may contain a chemical, radiological or
biological device.

 Do not open the envelope/package or parcel

 Do not pass the envelope/package or parcel around
 Close all doors and windows in the room where the package is situated
 Evacuate the room ensuring that the outer door is closed
 Switch off all air conditioning units
 Evacuate all surrounding/adjacent offices
 If opened, place back down gently.
 Dial the emergency services and tell the operator exactly what has happened for
example ‘A small envelope was opened and a white powder fell out onto the hand of
person X.’ State the exact location of the device and the numbers of staff affected/in
contact with it.
 Inform reception and your Line Manager

7.5. Actions for dealing with contaminated personnel

 7.5.1. The following action should be taken by or for any person being in contact with a
suspected chemical or biological device, prior to the arrival of a specialised
decontamination unit.

7.5.2. If you or other staff members have been in contact with a chemical or biological
device they/you should:

 Find the closest shower facility

 Remove and bag your clothes or personal items. These will be needed for
examination by emergency services.
 Wash with copious amounts of soap and water and put on clean
clothes/overalls/scrubs.
 Isolate contaminated persons from other staff to prevent further contamination
and in readiness for immediate attention by the emergency services
decontamination unit.

7.5.3. Contaminated persons must be isolated in a room with a telephone.

7.5.4. Keep a list of the names/numbers of other people who may have been exposed to
the suspect chemical or biological material and give this to the emergency services
decontamination unit upon their arrival.

8. The role of the Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge and Director

8.1. The Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge can be contacted via switchboard. They
will establish the location of the suspicious device and decide appropriate action.

8.2. He or she will have Trust site responsibility for the control of the incident, but will draw on
the skills and knowledge of other specialist personnel available.

8.3. The Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge will then decide if they are to do nothing
and allow things to continue as normal - this option may appear attractive if the bomb threat
appears to come from a drunken person or child, but it should not be adopted unless the
Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge is absolutely sure that it is a malicious call or
prank.

8.4. If there is the slightest doubt, the Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge will then
decide if they are to take action:

8.4.1. Search & then evacuate as necessary – Whilst this means that people will be in
the building for a longer period, if a bomb is found they can then be evacuated away
from danger. If nothing is found and there are no other significant factors, the
situation may be declared safe.

8.4.2. Search & partial evacuation – Should be considered when the threat level is
considered to be moderate, but there is no reason to believe an explosion may be
imminent or the suspect device is small (e.g. a letter bomb) and parts of the
 premises may be some considerable distance from the device. The Director may
consider evacuating only part of the site and retaining essential staff and search
personnel on the premises.

8.4.3. Evacuate immediately – Should be considered when a call is received, which the
Director considers a high risk i.e. where there is a possibility of an imminent
explosion. In these circumstances evacuation should take place as quickly as
possible, without conducting a search.

8.5. If a suspicious object is found ensure the correct immediate actions (section 5.6) are
implemented. The police (if not already present) should be informed of the find and the
actions taken to date. They will assume responsibility for dealing with the potential threat
until it is either rendered safe or shown to be a false call.

8.6. The Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge should ensure neighbouring

organisations are advised of the threat.

8.7. The Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge will continue to be responsible for the
continued safety and duties of the hospital staff and patients and will liaise with Directors
who are onsite at the time of the emergency.

9. The decision to re-occupy

9.1. Once the evacuation is complete, the Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge and
Director if present will need to decide when the building can be re-occupied. The
Emergency Services will be available to offer advice, but the final decision will rest with the
Site Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge and Director if present.

9.2. When the decision is taken to allow staff and or patients to go back into the building, the
person making that decision should instruct all staff to check their own work areas to
ensure that there is nothing suspicious around. If anything suspicious is found, then staff
should notify the police who will still be on site to offer reassurance and to investigate any
further items.

9.3. An incident should be reported via the RMS online incident reporting system by the Site
Nurse/Building Manager/Nurse in Charge.
 BOMB THREAT – ACTIONS SHEET

Actions to be taken on receipt of a bomb threat

 Record conversation if facility is available

 Immediately alert someone else if possible (so that the police and Senior Trust staff can
be informed)
 DO NOT PUT DOWN THE HANDSET OR CUT OFF THE CALLER. Obtain as much
information as you can.
 Complete this form as you go along. Asking questions in sequence as necessary.
 Record the exact wording of the threat including codeword.

Exact Wording:

Ask the questions:

1. Where is the bomb right now?

2. When is it going to explode?

3. What does it look like?

4. What kind of bomb is it?

5. What will cause it to explode?

6. Did you place the bomb?

7. Why are you doing this?

8. Who do you represent?

9. What is your name?

10. What is your address?

11. What is your telephone number?

12. Record time call completed

 If the threat relates to another site or location, contact the police and inform them at
once by dialling 999.
 Keep the telephone line open (even though the caller has disengaged).
 After the call

This part should be completed once the caller has hung up and the police have been
informed.

Time and date of

call:

Number at which call was received

(Including your extension
number):

Length of
call:

Remarks:

About the caller:

Male? Female? Child? Older?

Approx. Nationality
Age?

Threat Language
Well spoken Irrational Taped Incoherent

Foul Message obviously being read

Caller’s voice:
Calm Crying Clearing throat
Angry Nasal Slurred
Excited Stutter Disguised
Slow Lisp Accent
Rapid Deep Familiar
Laughter Hoarse Deep breathing

If voice sounded familiar, whom did it sound like?

Was there an accent?

Background sounds

Street noises House noises Clear

Crockery Motor PA System
Voice Static Factory machinery
Booth Music Children
Office machinery Animal noises Aircraft

Other noises (please specify)

Any other comments:

Your Name: Unit/Ward/Dept:

Extension no: Was call recorded?

Signature: