Front Desk Security and Safety: An On-The-Job Guide to Handling Emergencies, Threats, and Unexpected Situations

By Betty A. Kildow and Betty A. Kildow CBCP FBCI

Book Overview

"Front Desk Security and Safety supplies readers with indispensable facts and techniques on issues of safety and security, focusing in on specific responsibilities, emergency preparation and response, and prevention. An important manual no organization should be without, this comprehensive book helps ensure that the proper procedures and materials are in place. It includes: Step-by-step plans for natural disasters, terror threats, service disruptions, medical emergencies, fire, workplace violence, and more Emergency checklists and protocols that front desk people can copy and post at their desk Instructions for conducting safety training and emergency response drills Methods for protecting employees and working with external safety authorities when emergencies arise Techniques for keeping the business running despite sometimes substantial limitations Front Desk Security and Safety is a crucial reference that will help organizations of every kind ensure the safety of their people."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814408265
• ISBN13: 9780814408261
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: AMACOM
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.5" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 17 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Frontdesk Security & Safety - An essential resource

I highly recommend this book as it achieves something that is rare in Emergency Management and Business Continuity Planning (BCP). Anyone who has worked in the field, within a company or government agency or as a consultant, knows how difficult it is to help people understand why they should invest time and resources in BCP. This book makes it easy. It provides us with case studies that hit close to home, and therefore act as a vehicle to dive into this complex and difficult field. The author is to be commended. Within an organization, all too often risk management is steeped in a "silo" approach. This book leads us step-by-step towards integrating all aspects of emergency planning. An important new aspect of this book is that we are guided to truly integrative risk management procedures, addressing them directly to the people who are responsible for developing a plan, designing, implementing, and evaluating it. The book covers a comprehensive spectrum of potential threats and addresses one of the most difficult aspects of disaster response - the communications plan and how to deal with distressed people and the media. As a consultant, I have widely used this book, and it is equally useful for corporate risk managers and public decision-makers. Most remarkably, the author has managed to make the material readable and understandable for those new to the field. Of special added value is the wealth of highly applicable assessment, planning, and exercise tools provided as an appendix. The book is an excellent roadmap.

Front Desk Security & Safety--a valuable training reference.

Here is an easy-to-follow guide for receptionists, security desk personnel, administrative professionals, or any employee in any organization who has initial contact with the public. These employees, the organization's public relations face, have increasingly become an integral part of emergency management efforts. Ms. Kildow's book builds a practical knowledge base for the reader by setting forth emergency preparedness concepts, explaining the bigger picture of emergency planning, and identifying where front desk personnel fit in the overall emergency/security program. The chapter with specific emergency procedures is comprehensive, easy to follow, and incorporates the latest standards. Policy issues raised in Chapter 5 will give employers, as well as employees, pause for thought, and will help management understand the importance of making safety and security a part of the organization's formal culture. The book includes an extensive glossary, a readiness assessment tool, and emergency procedures in a reproducible checklist format. Features of the book that are of particular value are the training materials, the tabletop exercise guide, and realistic scenarios. In lieu of instructor-guided formal sessions with exercises and drills, this book fills a training void found in many organizations. The book, a tremendous economical value, is not just for front desk professionals. It is an outstanding reference or training manual for Emergency Management Directors; Safety and Security Directors; Emergency Response Team Coordinators, and others who have responsibility for managing emergency, safety, or security programs.