School Emergency Response Plan and Management Guide
Section 4: Response Protocols – October 2009 37
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROTOCOL
Hostage Situation
Depending on Assistance Needed, Call:
Police, Fire, and EMS Emergency 911
Security
EST Manager
Other
Situation Description
Hostage situations are among the most serious and complex incidents which impact public
school systems. Usually, hostage perpetrators are either mentally ill, political or religious
extremists, or fleeing criminals seeking a hiding place. Typically, the hostage taker is
agitated and unpredictable. Consequently, he/she should be considered extremely dangerous.
All school and office personnel must be prepared to carry out plans in the event of a hostage
situation in the school or community. In the event of this incident occurring, the following
actions should be taken to maintain the safety of all students and staff.
Procedures
Immediate response—
• Call 911.
• Contact security.
• Implement School Emergency Response Plan.
• Initiate Lockdown procedures.
• Call EST Manager.
• Follow police direction.
• Goal is to de-escalate situation.
• Try not to allow additional hostages to be taken.
• Compartmentalize (contain) situation to one area if possible; try not to allow situation
to go mobile. Utilizing active listening skills is crucial to de-escalating hostage
situations.
What to do–outside of the stage area—
• If a hostage situation develops, call MPD (911) and security. When talking with
police, be sure that the dispatcher understands clearly that there is a hostage situation
in progress that (if applicable) involves school children.
• Immediately cordon off the area where the hostage situation is located. Attempt to
evacuate everyone (except the hostages) from the immediate area. Do not attempt to
