The first 10 minutes: How security incidents unfold before anyone reacts

Crisis plans are great on paper. Policies, escalation charts, and emergency response protocols often read like well-oiled machines. But ask yourself this: What actually happens in the first 10 minutes of a real security incident?

Because that’s the moment where silence often takes over, not because no one cares, but because no one is quite sure what to do.

The first 10 minutes are when security is most vulnerable, not just from external threats but from internal confusion, human error, and organisational hesitation. In that space between detection and command, the outcome is decided.

The moment of discovery: It starts with the first observer

Security incidents rarely begin with a flashing red light and a team in body armour. They usually start with a single person noticing something odd:

• A front desk staff member sees someone trying to access a restricted area

• A junior IT admin receives an alert they don’t fully understand

• A security guard hears an unusual noise or notices a gate ajar

  
  

And here’s where many incidents unravel: that first person often doesn’t know what action to take, or worse, delays action out of fear of overreacting.

The human freeze: Uncertainty kills time

In drills, everyone plays their part. But in reality, the first 10 minutes often feature:

• Silence: No one calls it in because they’re unsure whether it’s “serious enough.”

• Assumptions: “Someone else probably already reported it.”

• Downplaying: “It’s probably just a glitch / late delivery / system hiccup.”

  
  

Human behaviour under pressure defaults to safety, not action. In a culture where escalation is discouraged unless the threat is obvious, early warning signs are often ignored, sometimes fatally.

Confusion in the chain of command

If the incident is reported, the next issue is usually this: Who takes charge?

In many organisations, especially large or multi-site operations, the escalation tree isn’t fast enough or clear enough.

Some common breakdowns:

• The “designated responder” is off duty or unreachable

• There’s no protocol for nights, weekends, or lone shifts

• Junior staff are afraid to trigger protocols without sign-off

• Conflicting instructions from different departments stall immediate action

  
  

Even when a control centre is in place, the gap between on-the-ground detection and senior-level decision-making is often unstructured.

No plan for the first responder

Crisis management plans usually outline big-picture steps: who communicates with law enforcement, who talks to the press, who leads the investigation.

But what about the person who sees it first?

That first 10 minutes requires simple, predefined micro-actions, like:

• “If you see this, do X immediately”

• “Lock these doors”

• “Activate this alert”

• “Evacuate this zone”

• “Don’t engage, observe and report”

  
  

Without clear, simple steps, panic or paralysis fills the vacuum, especially in low-confidence teams or undertrained staff.

Real-world consequences of a delayed start

Incidents that spiral often have the same root cause: slow, unclear initial response.

Some examples:

• Warehouse theft that escalated because a night guard assumed a known delivery driver was authorised, turns out it was an impersonator.

• Data breach that sat undetected for hours because a junior tech thought the alert was a system error.

• Propped security doors that led to unauthorised access, but weren’t locked down because the “person looked familiar.”

  
  

These weren’t failures of technology, they were failures of urgency, clarity, and immediate response.

How to strengthen the first 10 minutes

Security is about what people do, not just what they know. Here’s how to make those first minutes count:

• ✅ Define first-responder actions: Build simple, scenario-based playbooks for the first person on the scene.

• ✅ Empower frontline staff: Don’t make them wait for permission, train them to act with confidence.

• ✅ Run micro-drills: Simulate just the first 10 minutes of an incident. No escalation. Just the opening moves.

• ✅ Automate where possible: Instant lockdowns, alert cascades, and push notifications can cut reaction time in half.

• ✅ Clarify escalation triggers: Remove guesswork. If X happens, it is a valid reason to act.

  
  

Conclusion: Every second counts, train for the first ten

Most security breaches aren’t defined by the complexity of the threat. They’re defined by the speed and clarity of the response.

If your team isn’t prepared to act in the first 10 minutes, your crisis plan may never get off the ground.Because once confusion takes over, the attacker isn’t the only threat, you become your own.

Build clarity. Rehearse pressure. Empower action.And you’ll turn hesitation into control, before the damage is done.