Question 1

Did the general manager, Marisa Hingle, make the right choice in evacuating over 1,000 guests to the park?

Give two (2) reasons for your answer.

What four (4) factors could have influenced her decision? (6 marks)

Based on this years experience, should the Northpoint Hotel take any steps to prepare for bomb threats against this convention group in future years? (2 marks)

If so, what three (3) steps might the hotel take? (6 marks)

Case Study Terrorist on the Telephone PBXOperator Carolee Tomlinson glanced at the clock. "Noon," she thought as the phone rang with yet another call. She was eager to help the caller and leave for a very well-deserved lunch break. It seemed everything at the Northpoint was espedally hectic that day. It was the first day of the hotel's first large corvention since a major reniovation project was completed. With over 1,000 nationally respected guests on site, everyone wanted to make the best impression possible. "Thank you for calling the Northpoint Hotel. How may I direct your calles "There's a bomb at your hotel." Carolee gulped. "I beg your pardor, sir?" * Your hearing better improve fast mbess you want to see a lot of people get blown up." Carolee took, a deep breath and tried to keep her nerwes under control as she reached for the Northpoint's printed list of bomb-threat procedures. "Tm sorry, sir, we seem to have a bad connection. If you're on a cell phone, it might be best to-" "I'm not on a cell phone, I'm in a ph-." The caller stopped abruptly. "Just listen. There's a bomb in your hotel and you'd better do something about it." "What time is it going to go off?" Carolee asked, reading from the bombthreat checklist. "Forty-five minutes from now." "12,45," she said, taking notes. "Thal's what I said." "Where is it?" "Whyr don't we fust say that's for me to know and you to find out. More fan that way, don't you think?" "What kind of bomb is it?" "The kind that sends a very, very loud message." The caller laughed, and : Carolee noted the sound of traffic in the background. Mhy are you doing thist "You've got a lot of nerve, asking me that. I think it's time all those so-called scientists came face-to-face with the fact that there are some things they just can't fix. Maybe they won't keep thinking they can play God with people's lives." The convention, Carolee thought. The Cancer Research Soclety of America. Who in the world could possibly hold a grudge against cancer researchers? A ind then Carolee remembered something. "Is this Dale?" The line went dead. Carolee glanced up at the clock. It was 1207, Amazing how quickly your whole world can change, she thought as she daled the police. After informing them of the threat, she notified the property's general manager, Marisa Hingle. . Marisa quickly appeared at Carolee's workstation. "What was your impression of the caller? N she asked. Carolee reviewed her notes from the conversation. "If was a man, no accent to speak of. I think he was calling from a phone booth; Theard traffic in the background." "No location or description of the device?" Marisa asked. "He just said it would send a very loud message." Carolee paused "Yous know, I think it was Dale Edgar. The caller specifically said he warted to get back at our conferenoe attendees because they were 'playing God with people's lives, I know Dale's wife died of cancer about two weeks after he quit to care for her, and. I sort of recognized his voice. But I didn't really know him well, so I don't know if ir's something he's really capable of or whether he's just bluffing." "Thanks, Carolee," Marisa said as she hurried away, glancing at her watch. "No. matter who it was, we're taking every prectution. Make the evacuation call now.". For the Northpoirit Hotel, "every precaution" meant an evscuation and a . complete search of the property for any, packages, luggage, or other devices that: looked suspicious, out of place, or unclaimed. Carolee referred to her bomb-procedures sheet again and dialed into the public-address system that went into all of the rooms in the hotel. "We apologize for this inconvenience, I Carolee read over the PA, "but an emergency situation has arisen. We must ask that you evacuate the premises immediately, taking with you your valuables and personal belongings, and proceed to the park located across the street from the hotel. Please use the stairwells, if necessary. Do not use the elevators. Thank you. Safety code 319." "Safety code 319 was the Northpoint's code for a bomb threat, which every staff member at the hotel would recognize. Even as people were beginning to hurry out of the conference rooms and guestrooms, hotel staff were assembling in their assigned areas. The food and beverage and sales managers began moving through the seminar rooms and meeting spaces being used by the conference attendees. Room attendants checked linen closets and other storage areas to be sure they were indeed locked and that there were no signs of suspicious activity. Engineering employees worked their way through the mechanical rooms, checking all equipment for anything that looked unusual. Marisa and her staff were standing at the entrance ushering guests into the parking lot when three police cary screeched down the driveway. The Channel 10 news van and a car from the Suburban Sun-Sentinel were close behind. Marisa knew that once the call went out over the police bands it would only be a question of "when," not "if," the news media would arrive. She also knew that herding 1,000 eminent doctors and scientists across the street and into the park was bound to create images too intriguing for the TV broadcasters and newspaper photographers to ignore, She searched the growing crowd for the hotel's director of public relations and the property's designated spokesman, Roger Cars