Chapter 12 Examining Response to Violent Incidents 12-1

Introduction The most significant threat of violence to emergency responders is terrorism In 2001, a single incident took 343 firefighters, more than three times the annual average of LODDs It is imperative that a risk-benefit analysis be built into all violent incidents through standard policies and procedures 12-2

Life Safety Initiative 12 National protocols for response to violent incidents should be developed and championed 12-3

Life Safety Initiative 12 TERRORISM Weapons of mass destruction Overview Kill or injure as many people as possible Many different forms Chemical Military origin Simple industrial chemical Cont. 12-4

Life Safety Initiative 12 TERRORISM Weapons of mass destruction Biological Been proven effective as a weapon Radiological Successful attacks are rare Need radiological dispersal device (RDD) Cont. 12-5

Life Safety Initiative 12 TERRORISM Weapons of mass destruction Nuclear Unclear how many ingredients needed are available Explosive High yield explosives especially dangerous Cont. 12-6

Life Safety Initiative 12 TERRORISM Secondary devices Planned into the attack Emergency responders Easily targeted Part of equation Procedures needed 12-7

Life Safety Initiative 12 JOB DESCRIPTION Overview Establish a job description Responding to emergencies Duty and desire to protect lives and property Create standard procedures for response to violent incidents Cont. 12-8

Life Safety Initiative 12 JOB DESCRIPTION Assisting law enforcement Lead agency Tactical EMS (TEMS) Extricating patients Little attention given to minimizing injury 12-9 Courtesy of Lt. Rob Gandee

Life Safety Initiative 12 STANDARD PROCEDURES Uniforms Look like a firefighter Protective equipment Proper PPE NFPA 1500 Body armor Cont Photo courtesy of The Daily Dispatch, Henderson, NC

Life Safety Initiative 12 STANDARD PROCEDURES Training Size-up Positioning Self-defense Evasive maneuvering 12-11

Life Safety Initiative 12 TYPE OF INCIDENT Civil disturbance Preparation Response Firefighting Crowd control Cont

Life Safety Initiative 12 TYPE OF INCIDENT School or public shooting Overview Wait until law enforcement clears the scene Staging Protection Triage and treatment Cont

Life Safety Initiative 12 TYPE OF INCIDENT Bomb threats and possible bombs Apparatus dispatched Suspicious device Detonation Standard procedures Must keep pace with changing needs Cont

Life Safety Initiative 12 TYPE OF INCIDENT Animals Dangerous dogs Poisonous snakes Africanized honey bees Alligators Courtesy of Steve Hildebrand

Summary When it comes to violent incidents, we need to have a solid plan in place Vital that we define our duties, plan our response, and train for the execution of our action plan Must provide the needed logistics and tools for the activities that fall into our scope Identify outside resources to provide what we can’t Need to be able to dispense knowledge efficiently through the use of standard procedures 12-16