Response to Critical Incidents

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Training Objectives

• Recall the most common characteristics of a
  critical incident response.
• Analyze the difference between uncontrollable and
  controllable incident factors.
• Generalize the main characteristics of each
  incident response phase.
• Develop the appropriate strategies for each
  incident phase.

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Training Objectives

• Evaluate the value of tactical leadership in the
  crisis phase.
• Appraise the value of a universal game plan for
  a crisis response.
• Describe each of the Seven Critical Tasks.
• Given a critical incident in a practical setting,
  develop a response strategy and assemble a list
  of resources that your agency can bring to bear
  on a critical incident.

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Some History

• 1993 World Trade Center, the bombing was
  initially reported as an electrical transformer
  fire.
• 1995 Murrah Federal Building bombing in
  Oklahoma City was initially reported as a gas
  main explosion.
• 1999 Columbine High School, the initial call
  was to investigate a student down in the parking
  lot.

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Define a Critical Incident as

• An extraordinary event that places lives and
  property in danger and requires the commitment
  and coordination of numerous resources to bring
  about a successful conclusion.

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Types of Critical Incidents
Criminal Activities

• Bombing/Explosions

Branch Davidian Waco, TX 1993
Worcester, Mass 1999 6
Firefighters Dead
Columbine, CO 1999
Oklahoma Federal Building 1995

• Active Shooter(s)

• Hostage Incidents

• Arson

• Civil Disorder

• High Risk Warrant/Search

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Types of Critical Incidents
Terrorist Activities / Weapons of Mass
Destruction (WMD)

• Terrorist attack

3 Mile Island Radiation Spill 1979
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
Chernobyl Nuclear Meltdown 1986
Sarin Gas Japan Subway 1996

• Chemical

• Biological

• ANTHRAX
• PLAGUE
• SMALLPOX

• Radiological

• Nuclear

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Types of Critical Incidents
Fires/hazardous materials accidents

• Hazardous Chemical Spills or Explosions

• Industrial Fires/Accidents

• High Rise, Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Fires

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Types of Critical Incidents
Transportation Accidents

• Plane Crash

• Train Derailment or Collision

• Motor Vehicle Accident (Truck, Car, Bus)

• Shipping/Boating Accidents

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Types of Critical Incidents
Natural Disasters

• Earthquakes

• Hurricanes

• Tornadoes

• Floods

• Ice Storms/Blizzards

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Common Characteristics
All critical incidents share many common
characteristics. This is true regardless of
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What Are the Common Characteristics?

• Communications
• Whos in charge?
• Resources and resource coordination
• Intelligence gathering/problem assessment
• Crowd and traffic control (perimeters)
• Environment
• Planning and training
• The media
• Politics

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Uncontrollable vs. Controllable Factors
Incidents accelerate and decelerate based on
uncontrollable and controllable factors.

• Obviously, you cannot change factors beyond your
  control.
• So focus on the factors that you can control.

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Uncontrollable Factors

• Time
• Weather
• Location
• Initial Injuries/ Death
• Weapons
• Chemicals

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Controllable Factors

• Access to the scene
• Limiting crowd size
• Evacuating adjacent areas
• Rerouting traffic flow
• Requesting additional personnel and equipment
• Where and how you use personnel
• Establishing communication with personnel
• Your own command presence

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Phases of a Critical Incident

• All critical incidents share common traits.
  Besides sharing these traits, critical incidents
  can progress through four distinct phases

Termination
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Crisis Phase

• Typical duration 0-60 minutes
• Characteristics
• Confusion
• Panic
• Rush to scene
• Gridlock

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Response
Crisis Phase

• Goals
• Stabilize the scene
• Limit acceleration and growth of the incident
• Ensure citizen and responder safety

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Strategy
Crisis Phase

• Response strategies
• Initiate tactical management style
• First responding supervisor initiates Seven
  Critical Tasks
• Identify initial ICS functions needed
• Evaluate resource requirements
• Evaluate evacuation and/or shelter-in-place
  requirements.

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Outcomes
Crisis Phase

• Outcomes
• Safety of citizens and responders is provided
• Scene stabilized
• Proactive management of scene to move ahead of
  incident acceleration
• If not resolved, move to Scene Management Phase.
• If resolved, move to Termination Phase.

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Scene Management Phase

• Typical duration Hours to several days
• Characteristics
• Potential for danger continues
• Continuation of incident for longer duration
• Arrival of crowd, resources, and media
• Requires increased management

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Scene Management Goal

• GOAL

Establish an organized decision-making team with
ICS to bring about a safe and successful
resolution of the event
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Strategy
Scene Management Phase

• Response strategies
• Select site for scene/field command post
• Expand ICS with specific functions
• Develop and implement incident action plan
• Evaluate resource requirements
• Assess communications requirements
• Initiate evacuation plan (if required)
• Deploy specialists to bring about incident
  resolution

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Outcomes
Scene Management Phase

• Outcomes
• A unified command structure is established (if
  required)
• An organized decision-making team with ICS is
  established
• If not resolved, move to Executive Management
  Phase.
• If resolved, move to Termination Phase.

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Executive Management Phase

• Typical duration Several hours, a week or longer

Characteristics
Size, scope and seriousness of the event is
beyond the ability of scene/field command post to
manage
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Goal
Executive Management Phase

• Goal

Establish a fully expanded ICS to bring about a
safe and successful resolution of the event.
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Strategy
Executive Management Phase

• Response strategies
• Establish Emergency Operations Center (EOC) by
  expanding ICS
• Establish unified command structure (if required)
  
• Appointment of the IC is determined by the nature
  of incident, by the type of resources required,
  and through policy and/or legal authority.
• Evaluate current incident action plan and update
  as appropriate
• Support field operations
• Review and evaluate evacuation plan

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Outcome
Executive Management Phase
Outcome A fully expanded Incident Command System
brings about an organized team approach for the
safe and successful resolution of the event

• When resolved, move to Termination Phase.

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Termination Phase

• Typical duration Accomplished over several days
  or weeks
• Characteristics
• Incident resolved
• Order restored

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Goals
Termination Phase

• Goals
• Ensure scene integrity
• Bring about a smooth transition to normal
  operations
• Improve agency responses to the next critical
  incident
• Maintain emotional and physical well-being of the
  organization

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Strategies
Termination Phase

• Response strategies
• Implement plan for returning to normal operations
  
• Account for all personnel
• Assess damage/injuries
• Reassign personnel
• Re-establish evacuated areas
• Conduct debriefs and reviews
• Conduct stress debriefing and provide counseling
• Prepare after-action reports
• Review policy and assess training needs
• What happened?
• What was our response?
• What would we do better next time?

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Outcomes
Termination Phase

• Outcomes
• Event activity and agency response is properly
  documented.
• Information is provided that will benefit the
  profession.
• Opportunities are provided for all personnel to
  receive assistance with any emotional and/or
  physical needs

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Universal Game Plan
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Seven Critical Tasks

• Establish control and communications
• Identify the kill/hot zone
• Establish the inner perimeter
• Establish the outer perimeter
• Establish the on-scene command post
• Establish a staging area
• Identify and request additional resources

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Establish Control and Communications

• Control
• Dont assume that you are in control or that
  others will know this. Announce that you are
  taking control.
• Problem Assessment
• What is the nature of the incident?
• What is the exact location of the incident?
• How many suspects am I dealing with?
• What is the number and type of weapons involved?
• What type of chemical is involved?
• Is this a possible terrorist threat?
• Communications
• The 1 issue that impacts every critical
  incident.
• Make sure communication lines are open and they
  stay open.

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Identify the Kill/Hot Zone

• Kill/Hot Zone - The area of imminent danger to
  responders and citizens.
• Size of Kill/Hot Zone influenced by
• Nature of the threat
• Surrounding buildings and structures
• Terrain
• Weather conditions

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Identify the Kill/Hot Zone
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Establish the Inner Perimeter

• The inner perimeter is not the Kill/Hot zone. It
  surrounds the Kill/Hot zone and thereby keeps it
  from moving or expanding.
• The inner perimeter can be an offensive position,
  but it must afford cover, concealment, and/or
  proper safe distance for responders.
• The inner perimeter gives you the breathing room
  you need to develop and implement more detailed
  response strategies in the scene management phase.

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Establish the Inner Perimeter
Inner Perimeter - The area just beyond the
kill/hot zone and within which responders operate
to directly control the situation.

• Officers A and B - First responding officers who
  answered the initial call and got pinned down by
  gunfire.
• Cars C and D - Positioned to isolate Main Street
  between Second and Third Avenues.
• Officers E, F, G and H - Positioned to contain
  the kill zone and possible points of egress for
  the gunman.

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Establish the Outer Perimeter

• The outer perimeter is not an offensive position.
  
• If it becomes one, it is too close.
• Its primary function is to control movement to
  and from the scene. Prevents gridlock caused by
• Responders rushing to the scene
• Media and bystanders gathering to watch
• Actual size depends on the nature of the event.
• During events affecting a wide area, you may not
  be able to adequately staff an outer perimeter.
• At a minimum, set up work areas that are large
  enough to hold staging and command functions but
  small enough to control access.

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Establish the Outer Perimeter
The outer perimeter completely encloses the inner
perimeter and provides a safe work area for
responders.
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Establish the On-Scene Command Post

• A command post should NOT be located within the
  line of sight of an incident.
• This makes it easier to focus on the big picture,
  not just on one aspect of the incident.
• If you can see armed suspects, they can see you.
• Always consider the effects of wind when
  establishing a CP.
• You dont want to be downwind of a chemical
  spill.
• If tear gas is used against barricaded gunmen,
  you dont want to be suffering as much as your
  suspects.
• Be prepared to transition to a fixed or larger
  command post once resources arrive.
• You need a CP that allows response leaders to
  meet and make decisions.

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Establish the On-Scene Command Post
Any command post must be conducive to
communications and decision-making. It should
minimize stress factors, such as noise, confusion
and panic, and the distracting effects they can
have on those in charge.

• A command post (CP) should be located outside the
  kill zone but between the inner and outer
  perimeters.
• Command posts can be mobile or fixed. Often the
  initial CP is the first supervisors vehicle, as
  shown in the example.

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Establish a Staging Area

• Establishing a staging area keeps your resources
  from responding directly to the kill/hot zone.
• Keeps them safe.
• Prevents gridlock.
• Keep the staging area separate from the command
  post.
• Combining the two leaders to an area that is
  crowded, noisy and hard to accessnot exactly the
  calm decision-making atmosphere we want in a
  command post.
• Be sure to appoint a staging area supervisor.
• Arriving resources need to be briefed.
• The staging manager can advise when resources are
  available for deployment.

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Establish a Staging Area
The staging area is a specific location to which
resources respond and await deployment.
The staging area should be well out of the
kill/hot zone but between the inner and outer
perimeters. It must be Large enough to
accommodate all of the responding
resources Close enough for a quick transfer to
and from the scene Parking lots and blocked-off
streets are optimum locations.
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Identify and Request Additional Resources

• The last task discussed but not the last task to
  do.
• The sooner you identify and request resources,
  the sooner theyll be ready for deployment.
• Be proactive. Dont just request what you need
  right now think about what you might need later.
• Always request EMS support.
• Critical incidents by their very nature pose a
  threat to lives.
• EMS personnel should be standing by in the
  staging area for every critical incident.

Dont just think of the Fire Service for scenes
involving flames or hazardous materials.

• Specialized equipment such as tear gas and
  distraction devices can create fire hazards.
• Fire trucks have tools and equipment not readily
  available in law enforcement vehicles.

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Identify and Request Additional Resources

• Other Considerations
• Personnel - Who has special skills, such as
• Special skills and experience
• Advance first aid experience
• Media experience
• Equipment
• Whats available through the agency?
• Whats available through the community?
• What are some possible sources of unofficial
  resources?
• Other sources
• Utility companies (Power, Telephone,
  Cable/Satellite TV)
• Media
• Be prepared to improvise
• The date and time of the incident may have an
  impact.
• An unofficial resource might be more readily
  available. Going through normal channels may take
  too much time.

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Exercise
Practical

• Response to Critical Incidents

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ALLEY
ALLEY
ALLEY
7-11 Store
FOURTH STREET
550
Doughnut Heaven
410
GREEN STREET
Gas For Less
Adult Book Store
Laundrymat
SCHOOL
ALLEY
Utility Poles
Parked Cars
Bushes
Sidewalk
Fence
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Summary

• Critical incidents have common characteristics.
  We can use a universal game plan.
• The universal game plan uses the Seven Critical
  Tasks.
• Learn and use the ICS.
• Develop a respect for Hazmat.
• Take care of your people.
• Develop, assess, revise, and train your plans.

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Training Objectives

• Recall the most common characteristics of a
  critical incident response.
• Analyze the difference between uncontrollable and
  controllable incident factors.
• Generalize the main characteristics of each
  incident response phase.
• Develop the appropriate strategies for each
  incident phase.

52
Training Objectives

• Evaluate the value of tactical leadership in the
  crisis phase.
• Appraise the value of a universal game plan for
  a crisis response.
• Describe each of the Seven Critical Tasks.
• Given a critical incident in a practical setting,
  develop a response strategy and assemble a list
  of resources that your agency can bring to bear
  on a critical incident.