Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

FIRE: WHAT SHOULD FRONT OFFICE STAFF DO?
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Stay calm.
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Phone the fire department.
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Contact the general manager and all department heads.
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Retrieve the room status (occupied rooms) and in-house guest listing emergency
reports. Up-to-date reports should be run at least once daily.
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Compile a list of disabled guests who need assistance.
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Phone all occupied rooms and inform occupants of the situation. Instruct guests to
feel the door before opening; if it is cool, they should leave the room with their key
and follow emergency exit signs (don’t use the elevator). If a guest encounters
smoke or cannot leave the room, he or she should notify the front desk, seal all
cracks under the door, turn off the air conditioner and fan, hang a sheet from the
window, and fill the tub with water.
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Keep a list of any room in which guests could not be contacted, and any guests who
were unable to leave their room because of smoke or fire.
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Lock the cash drawer and take the key when leaving the area.
Take the room status and in-house guest listing reports and list of guests (with room
numbers) who need assistance, along with the guest registration box (the bucket) when
leaving the building.
Bomb Threats
When bomb threats occur, they are usually received by the hotel’s switchboard or at
the front desk. Procedures to manage bomb threats typically require that the first per-
son alerted is the general manager, manager on duty, or director of security. That
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