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NFFF Response to Violent Incidents: Nine Questions You Should Ask
Emmitsburg, MD – Do you know the nine questions you should ask that could help keep you and your firefighters out of harm’s way in a potentially violent situation? As the tragic events in Webster, NY showed, not every violent incident can be anticipated. But fire, EMS, and law enforcement experts agree that being prepared can often make a difference.The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is joined by the IAFC, CFSI, NFPA, and NVFC in this new effort to get fire chiefs, company officers and firefighters to ask critical questions that will help evaluate a department’s ability to effectively deal with a violent situation. Nine Questions You Should Ask is the work of Chief John Oates of East Hartford, CT, based on the report from a focus group of fire, EMS and law enforcement leaders held last year in Baltimore. That report has identified 14 National Recommendations to identify potential risks and stay safe. The full report is available here, www.lifesafetyinitiatives.com/12/FLSI12_FinalReport.pdf.
Chief Oates has also has written an article summarizing the efforts of these fire service organizations and leaders to develop tools for firefighters as part of Firefighter Life Safety Initiative #12, Violent Incident Response.
Below is a summary of Nine Questions You Should Ask. Detailed information on the questions and resource material, including the final report, are available at http://www.everyonegoeshome.com/news/2013/violentincidents_011113.html
Nine Questions You Should Ask
- Do you use risk/benefit analysis for every call?
- Do you have an effective relationship at all levels with the law enforcement agencies in your community?
- How good is the information you get from your dispatcher?
- Do you allow members to “first respond” directly to the scene?
- Does your law enforcement agency use an incident management system?
- When responding to a potentially violent incident, do you seek out a law enforcement officer when you arrive?
- Have you told your fire officers/personnel that it is OK to leave the scene if things start to turn bad?
- Is there a point where you don’t respond or limit your response to violent incidents?
- Is your uniform easily mistaken for law enforcement?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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All our personnel recently completed "Courage To Be Safe," a class based on the NFFF 16 Life Safety Initiatives. This was one of the subjects we talked about. When we talk about communication next week we'll be reviewing these nine questions again.
Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Moose on
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One of our state fire instructors recently created a seminar called "Response to Active Shooter Incidents" at the request of local county authorities including the sherrif and fire coordinator. The presentation he made was very well done and informative. The class was held in a local FD meeting room and there was standing room only, well over a hundred members of fire, ems, and law enforcement showed up from our county and our neighboring counties, they even had to turn people away at the door and scheduled a second class the following week.
We are not too far from Webster NY where two of our own were needlessly shot, and its scary to think about what could happen in our own town with all of the hunters in the area with rifles, and a majority of the population are out of work and cant find jobs...thats a lot of stress on a person. We ahve had multiple suicides; some successfull and some not, all with firearms. Now you have all of the media attention pointing out these active shooter incidents and they will get ideas of what to do with their situations...
Stay safe everyone, and remember to bring your local LEO's some coffee and re-establish that working relationship with each other instead of continuing the petty bickering; work together and keep each other safe.
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