In the wake of Wednesday’s hostage crisis at Discovery Communications in Silver Spring, Md., companies and building owners should take the time to review their emergency evacuation and continuity of operation plans, experts say. During this review, companies and building owners should ensure that they are keeping track of any communications with people who seem to be harboring animosity towards the company or its employees. Doing this can allow companies to be aware of possible threats, according to Andrew Milne, the senior counsel at Garson Claxton in Bethesda, Md. In addition, companies and building owners should ensure that employees know who to call in what situation. Companies and building owners should also develop ways to communicate with employees that are appropriate for different situations, such as e-mail or the use of area-selective public address systems. If building owners and companies do not have plans in place to deal with a crisis like the one that took place at Discovery Communications, they should begin work on one immediately and educate themselves about potential threats to their staff members.

Cops: No More Bombs Found After Discovery Hostage Standoff
MSNBC (09/02/10)

A four hour long hostage situation at Discovery Communications’ headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., came to a violent end Wednesday afternoon when Montgomery County SWAT officers shot and killed the gunman out of fear that his four captives were in danger. The incident began about 1 p.m., when James J. Lee–who had protested Discovery Communications for the past several years because he said it was not doing enough to address global warming and other environmental issues–entered the lobby of the building armed with a gun and a bomb strapped to his body. Employees at the building were notified of the incident by an announcement over the P.A. system that urged them to go back to their desks. Workers responded by hiding in offices until they were told to evacuate. Meanwhile, Lee had taken two hostages–two Discovery Communications employees and a security guard–and threatened to detonate his explosives. At about 4:50 p.m., officers from the SWAT team shot Lee in order to protect the hostages, who eventually made it out of the building unharmed. However, the shooting detonated one of the explosive devices that had been attached to Lee’s body. After the situation was resolved, police officers searched the building for more explosives, but did not find any. Discovery’s headquarters was closed overnight Wednesday as police continued their investigation. It remains unclear whether employees would be allowed to return to work on Thursday.