Active ShooterDeveloping a Live Exercise

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Agenda

•Goals•Pre-Event Planning•Training•Logistics•Collaboration•Lessons Learned

GOALS

Goals of Exercise

•Coordinate response between campus public safety and local first responders

•Understand deployment of tactical unit•Train campus public safety•Facilitate development of individual

campus unit safety plans•Exercise ICS at policy and ops levels•Safety

Goals of Exercise

“The 4 D’s”•Develop Incident Action Plan•Develop Trust with Campus Leadership•Develop Confidence (internal/external)•Develop Partnerships

News Story (WCAX)

What do we know...

•Active shooter scenarios last, on average, between 4 - 7 minutes

•Occur in daytime•First responders are the line

staff, not the tactical units•Multiple responding agencies•Mass confusion

PRE-EVENT PLANNING

Pre-Event Planning

•Script Considerations•Communications with- Institutional leadership-Media-Deans, Directors & Dept. Heads-Faculty, Staff & Students

Pre-Event Planning

•Campus Forums•Local, State, Federal Agencies

•Policy Review-Use of Force-ICS-Mutual Aid

Pre-Event Planning

•Active Shooter vs. Hostage•Venue Selection (and

notification)- High Risk Areas- Res Halls- Admin Buildings- Student Unions and Classrooms

Sample Communication

December 8, XXXX

To:XXXX Building Faculty & Staff

From:Chief Jane Doe

Re:Police Training Exercise

On Monday, January 8, XXXX between 9AM and 12PM, ABC Police Services will conduct a live training exercise with the City Police and State Police Tactical Support Unit (TSU) in XXX Building.We chose XXX Building because of the locus of administrative and student service offices and its history as a focal point for dissent and disruption. This live training exercise focuses on ABC and City Police response to an “active shooter” and hostage scenario. The officers will apply dynamic approach and entry techniques learned from the State Police TSU on January 4 and 5 in training conducted in Williams Hall.

This exercise is closely supervised and controlled. No live ammunition will be allowed in the building during the training. Safety officers will be in place to monitor and we are posting ample signage and greeters. This will disrupt business on the first floor for the morning so please plan accordingly.

We chose these dates because they are during semester break and we forecast less activity in the building. This is a great opportunity for those of you at work these days to observe how we train police to address these concerns, and to re-visit the conversation on safety during emergent crisis.

Please share this information with any person(s) you feel should know including students who may be around during the break and vendors who deliver goods and services to the building. We recognize that seeing this many police officers in one place without knowing the context could be un-nerving. We will send out a campus-wide email prior to the event.

I will be available on Wednesday, January 3 at 10:30AM in the XXX Memorial Lounge to answer any questions and address last-minute concerns. In advance, don’t hesitate to contact me directly at _____________________. Thank you.

Sample CommunicationDecember 19, XXXX

To:3rd Floor XXX Building

From:Chief Jane Doe

Re:Additional Information on January 8, XXXX Police Training Exercise

Please take into account the following information when planning your work day on Monday, January 8, XXXX.

While the exercise is under way (9:00AM – 11:30AM) you will not be able to move through the 3rd

Floor Hallways. If you must be sequestered in your offices this particular morning, DO NOT access the hallways. We suggest that you find other places to conduct business on this date and time.

•No one will be allowed onto the 3rd Floor once this exercise commences.

•Safety Officers identified with fluorescent vests will be present to control access and ensure safety.

•There will be loud noises.

•There will be no live ammunition involved in this exercise or allowed in the building.

There will be a final informational session on Wednesday, January 3rd from 10:30AM – 11:30AM in Memorial Lounge.

Please make appropriate accommodations for Monday, January 8, XXXX from 9:00AM – 11:30AM in order to minimize disruption to your operations. We hope you’ll use this opportunity to develop your own business continuity plans and we appreciate your support and understanding as we train on this important topic, which we pray we never have to actually respond to.

TRAINING

Training

• ICS/NIMS (7 Critical Tasks)• Policy Review• Rapid Response Team

Deployment- Room Entry / Clearing- Stairs and Hallways- Classroom followed by Practical

Training

•Safety, Safety, Safety-Fire & EMS on-site•Securing the venue-Weapons-Controlled Access-Communications to Campus

Training

•Dispatchers Involvement•Noise, Distractions and

Confusion•Use of Simunitions/Airsoft-Compatibility with surrounding

agency- Implications of training gear

Training

•Leadership Considerations: Integration & Battle Command Hand-Off

•Emergency Operations Group-Creating a timeline-Communications/Organization/

ICS•Policy Group

Training

•A tool for individual department business continuity planning...

•Crime Scene Management•Further live exercise planning

•Hostage Negotiators

LOGISTICS

Logistics

•Role players•Evaluators•Safety Officers•Scribes (for real time recording)•Campus notification•Equipment

Logistics

•The Script (no surprises!)

•Communications-Area Agencies-Media-Building Signage

Logistics

•Staging area for actual, real time deployment of resources-Calculating dispatch & arrival

times-Controlled release•Safe Zones•Out of Bounds Zones

Media Relations

•As an exercise for media...•Staging•Filming the training- Tactics considerations- Public Relations considerations- Access considerations

COLLABORATION

Collaboration

•Tactical Support Units•Local Public Safety (Police/Fire/EMS)

•Media•Campus Departments

LESSONS LEARNED

Lessons Learned

1.Equipment Compatibility2.Mixed Team Deployment3.Command and Communications4.Seven Critical Tasks & ICS5.Plain Clothes Officers

Responding6.Confusion and Collapsing

Lessons Learned

7. Don’t Assume Buy-Ina. Staffb. Other agenciesc. Administration

Major Lessons Learned

1.Plainclothes police officers responding to such an incident MUST wear their uniform jackets with arm patches and insignia.

2.Use of Incident Command System allowed for rapid deployment of tactical unit and integration into campus response.

3.The Rapid Deployment Training (including use of Rescue Teams) that all campus police officers and city police officers went through in the days prior to the exercise proved essential to our coordinated response.

4.We were well prepared by having our Policy Group (i.e., Senior Institutional Leadership) and the Emergency Operations Group fully familiar with ICS and its application. They participated in the exercise.

Contact Information

www.margolishealy.com

866-817-5817