Response to Violent Incidents

 

Earlier this year, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) released its final report on national protocols for response to violent incidents, as part of its Life Safety Initiative 12. The report, produced with public funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Program, is the result of a focus group session held this past year in Anne Arundel County, Md. The session was attended by 29 fire/EMS departments, law enforcement and supporting agencies.

 

The group faced a daunting task, made even more challenging by the difficulty in identifying a clear and universally accepted definition of what constitutes a violent incident against a responder. Without such a definition, it is nearly impossible to track incidents, accurately assess the extent of the problem or provide recommended solutions. Even statutory definitions of whether or not a crime is considered violent vary from state to state.

 

The U.S. Department of Justice broadly defines violent crime as any criminal offense that involves the use or threat of force or violence. It was determined by the focus group that this definition would be effective for use in discussions of “violent incidents” to cast a wide net and facilitate the development of data collection and research efforts that would encompass the entire spectrum of incidents impacting emergency responders.

 

The current lack of data presented the group with its second challenge. Rather than creating an entirely new reporting system, the focus group recommended that one or more appropriate data field(s) should be added to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) in order to document violent incidents. Some training will be required to help responders understand the nature of incidents that should be reported. For example, even if law enforcement is not involved-as when a patient slaps or hits a paramedic or even threatens violence-that is a reportable incident.

 

The report covers three case studies and the lessons learned. It also discusses issues such as civil disturbances, booby traps, secondary devices, criminal activity and terrorist actions.

 

Employer’s responsibility to provide a safe workplace

 

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are currently no specific standards for workplace violence. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) General Duty clause has been interpreted by the courts to mean that “an employer has a legal obligation to provide a workplace that is free of conditions or activities that either the employer or industry recognizes as hazardous and that cause, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to employees when there is a feasible method to abate the hazard.”

 

It also implies that “an employer that has either experienced acts of workplace violence or becomes aware of indicators that the potential for workplace violence exists would be on notice of the risk of workplace violence and should implement a workplace violence prevention program combined with engineering controls, administrative controls, and training.”

 

The focus group rioted that every agency could implement awareness training, self-defense training and policies to maintain these standards. In particular, the group recommends that every agency employ an “after-action review” process in order to provide a systematic method for making positive changes to operational policies and procedures.

 

Recommendations for emergency response agencies

 

The focus group acknowledges that even the most routine response situations represent the potential for violence. “Encountering violence during the call compounds this inherent vulnerability, and adds an unacceptable level of risk for every responder,” the paper notes. They hope that, through the best practices and recommendations of Life Safety Initiative 12, responders will be better prepared to identify and mitigate the inherent risks they encounter.

 

The report concludes with the following recommendations for all emergency response agencies:

 

1. The federal definition of a violent incident should be adopted by emergency responder organizations.

 

2. The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) should be modified to include appropriate data fields to facilitate statistical data collection and analysis of violent incidents.

 

3. Response agencies must adhere to a unified command structure that reinforces the use of an integrated incident management systern. Multiple or separate command posts should be discouraged.

 

4. No resource should be permitted to self-dispatch or self-deploy to any incident. All requests for assistance should emanate from the command post following established protocols.

 

5. Radio and communication discipline should be stressed so that conflicting information can be evaluated before action is taken. Concurrently, on-scene personnel movements must be tracked through an accountability systern to prevent emergency responders from becoming victims of friendly fire.

 

6. Dispatch should provide all emergency responders with historical data for specific locations or individuals so that the responders can develop and implement defensive tactics in anticipation of a potential violent incident. Where legal obstacles prevent the dissernination of such information, efforts should be undertaken to enact laws or regulations to permit this information to be shared with emergency responders.

 

7. All emergency response agencies should adopt protocols and policies dealing with response to violent incidents. These policies

 

should be as inclusive and encompassing as possible, while recognizing the resource limitations of each particular agency. Protocols should also include policies on the dissemination of information to family members, the media and the general public.

 

8. Training programs should be developed that include recognition of the potential for violent incidents; situational awareness and appropriate actions to take during violent incidents; and self-defense strategies and tactics to employ if confronted by a violent incident. Agencies should participate in multi-discipline training exercises that can simulate an event and create opportunities to refine and improve the strategy and tactics to be used during a violent incident.

 

9. The potential for violent incidents should be considered when constructing new facilities. Where appropriate, construction-hardening features including access-limiting designs should be incorporated.

 

10. Prior to and during times of heightened or sensitive events, emergency response agencies should conduct planning sessions with law enforcement and other response elements to discuss how operations will proceed before, (luring and after the event. During such planning, member protection and situational awareness should be emphasized.

 

11. Emergency response agencies should proactively provide information and intelligence to fusion centers. It can assist with evaluation and analysis.

 

12. Emergency response agencies and law enforcement should work together to develop procedures or guidelines for response to “active shooters,” including incidents at schools and mass-gathering facilities.

 

13. After-action review (AAR) should be standard operating procedure in all emergency response agencies.

 

14. National, state and local stakeholders should be used to mobilize efforts that create awareness and advance this initiative. These same networks can be used to ensure that the training, policies and protocols created to address this initiative are distributed in a sensitive manner.

 

The report can be found at http://www.lifesafetyinitiatives.com/12/FLSI12_FinalReport.pdf

 

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