08/27/2026
How Does Your Security Team Handle a Critical Incident?
Most companies have an answer:
“Call the police.”
Calling law enforcement is absolutely necessary during a critical incident—but that cannot be the entire security plan.
Here’s a scenario:
A local mall is hosting a large community fair with carnival rides, food trucks, games, and thousands of people expected throughout the day.
The mall hires your security company and requests unarmed security officers.
Now ask yourself:
How are those unarmed officers prepared for a critical incident?
Do you have a plan beyond calling 911?
• Do you know your officers well enough to understand how they may respond under extreme stress?
• Have they been trained to recognize and communicate a developing threat?
• Do they know how to move innocent people away from danger?
• Do they understand how to assist injured citizens until first responders arrive?
• Do they know where emergency exits, access points, medical equipment, and staging areas are located?
• Do they have a communication plan that works when hundreds or thousands of people are moving at once?
• Have you trained them to work alongside law enforcement and fire/EMS when they arrive?
And perhaps most importantly:
Have you actually practiced the plan?
Being unarmed does not mean being unprepared.
A professional security officer's role during a critical incident isn't to replace law enforcement. It's to recognize, communicate, protect, guide, assist, and create time and space for first responders to do their job.
Every major event should have a critical-incident plan before the first person walks through the gate.
If you don't have an answer for these questions, it's time to build one.
Security isn't just about what happens during a normal day. It's about being prepared for the day when everything goes wrong.