In November 2017, the US witnessed another mass shooting. This shooting occurred in Texas where a gunman opened fire at a congregation and killed 26 people (Malkin & McGowan, 2017). The shooting was just one of the dozens that the US has suffered. While this shooting was costly in terms of human lives, it provides lessons regarding emergency response. It allows emergency management personnel to understand their roles in incidences involving shooting. As they respond to such incidences, the primary objective of the personnel should be to disable the gunman and attend to the injured.
Incident respondent and responsibilities
Chaos and confusion are some of the hurdles that hamper rescue and relief efforts in emergency response. This is especially true when different agencies and organizations demand to be allowed to be part of the effort. To ensure that there is proper coordination, an incident respondent (commander) should assume responsibility. In most cases, the first person to arrive at the scene serves as the incident commander (Levy, 2014). Upon the arrival of a more senior official, this person is relieved of their duties. In the case of the shooting at the church, the Supervisor on Duty should serve as the initial incident commander. This is because this individual is probably the senior-most ranking official at the hospital. If there is another official who holds a higher rank, they should assume the position of incident commander. This position comes with a number of important responsibilities. The responsibilities include instituting protective measures and notifying relevant authorities (Levy, 2014). The incident commander is also expected to eliminate hazards that could compound the crisis. Coordinating emergency response, requesting medical help and involvement in cleanup operations are other responsibilities that the incident commander is charged with (Levy, 2014). All these responsibilities aim to minimize the loss of life and end the crisis as soon as possible.
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Person to contact
For effective emergency management, different stakeholders need to coordinate their efforts. After arriving at the church, the incident commander will need to contact other members of the response team. Medical personnel and law enforcement officials are the individuals that the incident commander will need to contact immediately. In active shooter situations, the focus should be to disable the attacker and provide treatment to the wounded (DHS, 2015). These are the responsibilities of law enforcement officials and medical professionals. As he contacts the police and medical personnel, the incident commander will be able to eliminate the threat that the attacker poses while rescuing the wounded.
Vital elements of training and preparedness
It has been noted with concern that emergency personnel in the US are ill prepared to respond to active shooter situations (“Planning & Response Considerations”, n.d). This realization underscores the importance of training and preparedness. When responding to the situation at the church, the emergency personnel will need to rely on various elements of their training and preparedness. Coordination, rescue of victims and disabling the attacker are some of these elements. Law enforcement and other agents receive training on how to coordinate their efforts and to deliver aid to victims. They are also trained on how to approach the attacker. If they feel that it is possible for end the crisis through diplomacy, then the law enforcement agents attempt to negotiate with the attacker. In most cases, negotiating proves impossible and the agents have to resort to lethal force. As noted earlier, confusion and chaos usually characterize active shooter scenes. There is need for the different responders to coordinate their efforts to minimize chaos and confusion. It is also important for the responders to rely on their training to ensure that victims are treated as soon as possible. Many deaths occur because help takes too long to arrive. Assisting those in the church flee from the attacker is another element of training that the responders will need to invoke. They should move the congregation away from the attacker to minimize loss of life.
Responsibilities of incident response team
The end of an attack does not mean that the mandate of the responders is concluded. When the shooter has been disabled, the responders still have to perform various crucial responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is accounting for individuals (DHS, 2015). This is usually done through gathering the survivors at assembly points and counting them. Notifying the families of the dead and the injured is another responsibility that the incident response team has to perform. The team may also need to conduct psychological evaluations on those at the scene (DHS, 2015). If it is found that they need further assistance, the response team should refer these individuals to medical facilities. Ensuring continuity of operations is another role that the team needs to perform. The continuity of operations allow for vital functions to be conducted after the scene of the incident has been cleared. The incident response team may also need to develop a plan in which it outlines the transition process (DHS, 2015). This process allows for the resumption of normal operations.
Active shooter incidents have become so common in the US that it is reasonable to expect that more incidents will occur. Law enforcement agencies and other entities involved in emergency response need to anticipate these incidents. They should give particular focus to such areas as churches which are prime targets for shooters. When an incident occurs, the highest-ranking official at the scene should assume immediate responsibility. He should contact emergency personnel who should then move with speed to rescue the injured. The personnel should turn to the training that they have received for insight on how to respond to such crises as active shooter situations.
References
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). (2015). Planning and Response to an Active Shooter: An Interagency Security Committee Policy and Best Practice Guide. Retrieved 2 nd February 2018 from https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/isc-planning-response-active-shooter-guide-non-fouo-nov-2015-508.pdf
Levy, J. (2014). The First Responder’s Field Guide to Hazmat & Terrorism Emergency Response. Campbell, CA: Firebelle Productions.
Malkin, B. & McGowan, M. (2017). Texas Church Shooting: Suspect Named as at least 26 Confirmed Dead- as it Happened. Retrieved 2 nd February 2018 from
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2017/nov/06/texas-church-shooting-sutherland-springs-live-updates
Planning & Response Considerations for Mass Shooting Incidents. (n.d). Retrieved 2 nd February 2018 from http://www.orgsites.com/va/asis151/FirstResponderOverviewMassShootingIncidents.pdf
