When the Worst Happens

From the pivotal moments of Columbine (April 20, 1999), every police chief and sheriff who leads a smaller and/or rural department has worried countless hours: “What if it happens here?”

In January 2000, I was a panelist on a Mass Violence Response panel forum in Richmond, Va. At that time, I was a member of a large city police department. My response and life then was built around the logistics of a large department. Since 2002, I have been a chief of police in a medium size department (<50). Some of the unanswered questions of the audience then became my realities of life.

The 21st century has brought vast changes to American law enforcement’s response to active shooter events (ASE). It has been studied, reviewed and is in a continual refinement process. What has often been overlooked was the rural or smaller town department’s response, where manpower, support and logistics are limited. Most rural towns think it will never happen there. In response, remember the West Nickel Mines School shooting (Oct. 2, 2006) where a gunman took hostages and killed several children in rural Pennsylvania.

Do not limit your thinking to school shootings only. Perform a vulnerability assessment of your jurisdiction. Do you have large churches, shopping areas or large annual gatherings? Tailor your training to your areas of responsibility.

First steps and new concepts

One of the first concepts to an ASE was the rapid deployment of the “four officer diamond” or sometimes “T formation” response for entry. This did bring to the table the concepts of mutual aid between departments. Police, sheriff and state officers now actually began training with each other. To be honest, the street officers embraced it but often management’s egos got in the way. Throughout the country, several regional task forces began to band local, state and federal offices together for this “worst day” response. Memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were authored to give this a legal blessing. Still, there were gaps that needed to be addressed.

Enter the Incident Command System (ICS) into the mix. Although the concepts of ICS have been around for years, law enforcement attempted to avoid it. Law enforcement was the last to board the ICS train but we are getting better with its applications. One major learning curve of training for an ASE is the sheer operations magnitude and logistics that most never imagine.

The ICS format and lessons learned from the fire side of the house paid off but still some egos are frayed. What is exceptional about this is the lessons learned from transitions from an emergency response, to mass casualty and then the follow-up of investigations, reunifications, public information, etc.

A local chief or sheriff will be immediately overwhelmed without branch and division support. It only made sense to not fear the ICS models.

There were some realists who still stated that if they waited to form a four officer team it could be far too late for the captives. Some adjusted tactics to one officer or whoever assembled entry methods. The lone officer concept was and still is debated to this date. There were some missing elements and the debates continued. However, if you have a school resource officer (SRO), they are often the one-person response.

Some departments developed their own tactical teams. Most have fallen along the wayside due to lack of their personnel depth. If everyone was working today, it could work provided it was not a long siege. Now if there are vacations, vacancies, sick leave and— well, you get—it will not work. You have to work with mutual aid agreements and depend on other departments to survive.

Equipment for preparedness

As the rapid deployment industry began to spin up, every department was faced with a shopping list of portable shields, helmets, “shooter bags” and the patrol rifle. Prior to 2000, there were very few active deployed patrol rifles as long arms were limited to shotguns.

This made a major shift in firearms training and policy. The military surplus/disposal systems came into play as well. Nearly every department now was seeking equipment to ensure their officers were well prepared. Training with this new equipment and response was now on nearly everyone’s training schedules. The law enforcement and military industries along with the training industry collectively responded with new and innovative concepts.

One overlooked element was that of trauma management, police and victims. Traditionally, police officers did not carry an IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) on them or for that matter in their patrol vehicle. All trusted the local EMS to respond. The military has always had individual first aid dressing kits on the load bearing equipment, why not cops? The learning curve coupled with medical improvements and technology. The hemostatic dressings and tourniquets were now acceptable for carry for everyday and every patrol car, not just for the bad days.

The local tactical response or SWAT teams all had an EMT or paramedic assigned for their immediate assistance but what about mass casualty response? This was another hurdle for the team who is trained to push through to neutralize the threats, all the while passing victims who were bleeding out.

The rescue task force concept

With help from the National Tactical Officers Association and several gifted tacticians, a great new concept has evolved built around integrated response with a rescue task force (RTF) concept. The NTOA and several training businesses are presenting their models.

My suggestion is to shop around for the one that fits your department’s needs and budget.

From the origins of shooter responses, we have always relied on the old hazardous materials concentric rings of hot, warm, cool zones. The hot being the most dangerous and peril lessened as the temperature ring did. Our medical responders would stage in the cool zone, waiting for the wounded to be brought to the triage area. Many times medics have requested to go in but were not allowed. Our fire departments with rescue capabilities and in-depth manpower pools also were in the cool zone. They too were staged to assist.

For both of these key resources in emergency response there were a few hurdles to get them over. First and foremost, while they enter into flames, hazardous materials and very risky rescue scenes, they were never trained to enter a warm zone where there were hostilities. Secondly, they are not fully equipped for this business; neither fire nor EMS are issued ballistic vests.

A solution is to keep a cache of ballistic vests (old or retired officer’s versions) for additional protection. These are not measured or fitted but do offer some protection.

Finally, they have never had formal training. To that I say, their chance has come. Host a RTF training and exercise.

There will be some other challenges to get by for the smaller and medium sized departments. First the norm will probably be that both fire and EMS are volunteer in your area. Training time is very limited for volunteers and rounding all up for a large-scale training will be a monumental task. The other issue is in a small or rural area, you have limited resources to begin with, so a true mass casualty call will encompass several fire and EMS stations from your county or adjacent counties. Just a tabletop training with chiefs may require support from your county emergency management or similar chiefs associations. One key addition to the team will be a safety officer, for you now have people working outside of their training and comfort zones—safety is paramount in all operations.

Now, there are many variations of the RTF plan throughout the country. My base plan is this: The first element of police have pushed through into the hot zone and believe that the threat(s) have been eliminated. From the intel that they have formed, entering a rescue medical plan can now be formed. The first team will estimate and give direction to where injured are located. All the while, the “rescue team” is a basic four person team—one police officer on the point leading two firefighters and one EMT.

The police in communication with police who have previously entered, covers the team and wounded in case of other combatants. The police officer should have also had some training in recognizing improvised explosive devices (the officer is the eyes and ears of the team). The EMT will perform the life saving measures. One lesson learned for the EMS side of the house is that most EMTs are trained to perform under the standard conditions of having all of their gear nearby. Instead, this response will be with a backpack of medical gear. No backboards, splints and IVs, just basic battlefield combat medicine. Some refer to this as “grab and go” medicine but you get the idea.

Remember, they are still in a warm or possible hostile zone. The two firefighters are there to help move debris, rescue and carry/drag victims. It is not rocket science but rudimentary: get first aid to the victims and get as many as you can out of harm’s way to better medical treatment and safety.

More moving pieces

The RTF concept is not as simple as I portray. Rather, it is the ultimate chess match for the commanders. One of the biggest mistakes that police leadership skims over is that during an active shooter event, once cops go in and neutralize threat, the job is done. This is merely the beginning.

In an active shooter event, you’ve sent in teams to eliminate the threat. Afterward, rescue teams can be sent in to remove the wounded to triage. This all the while will be a public information nightmare with every station and newsperson showing up. The staging of equipment, traffic management and just the tracking of the patients to hospitals will be a logistical problem. The linking of communications will be a challenge.

Now, transition this into a forensic police investigation, reunification of families and starting the new normal for this site for the next few weeks, if not months. Who will be covering your daily business and calls for service? Think long term—this mission does not stop when the shooting is over.

Starting points

If you are the small- to medium-sized department leader, you can do this. Invest the time in reading the literature, attend trainings and work collectively with all of your first responders on a plan. Your all-hazards emergency plans for natural occurring and manmade events plans will offer you a foundation to start. Perform a vulnerability assessment of your jurisdiction. Once locations are identified, develop partnerships with them. No better place to train but there. Give your first responders the home court advantage. The biggest key is to forge relationships now and not wait for the crisis.

Editor’s Note: For further reading on this topic, check out “6 Tips to Adding Medical Equipment, Training to Your Curriculum” by Craig Hall, director of training for Techline Technologies at Officer.com/12360069.