Instructors Guide to Critical Incident Management

Instructor’s Guide to

Critical Incident Mgmt

One

The Nature of Critical Incidents

à

Overview

This chapter introduces students to some of the most common type of critical incidents, issues that commonly impact effective response, and controllable and uncontrollable factors of which the supervisor must be aware. It’s the universal nature of critical incidents that allows for the application of a universal response strategy (the Seven Critical Tasks).

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Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to: • • • •

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Recall the most common characteristics of critical incident response Describe the three universal criteria for agency response plans Recognize the impact of politics (external, internal, and interagency) on agency response Differentiate between uncontrollable and controllable incident factors

Key Terms and Concepts

Command, 13-14 Communications, 12-13 Common characteristics, 10-20 Controllable factors, 22-23 Critical Incident, 9 Crowd, 15-16 Environment, 16 Intelligence, 15

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Media, 17-18 Perimeters, 15 Planning, 16-17 Politics, 18-20 Resources, 14 Training, 16-17 Uncontrollable factors, 20-21

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

The Nature of Critical Incidents

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Presentation Slides

Slide 1

Slide 2

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

The Nature of Critical Incidents

Slide 3: Definition of Critical Incident Points to Emphasize •

Two basic criteria: 1. Places lives and property in danger 2. Requires the commitment and coordination of numerous resources

Slide 4: Types of Critical Incidents—Terrorist Activities / Weapons of Mass Destruction Points to Emphasize • • • • •

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Terrorist attack—World Trade Center, 2001 Chemical—Sarin Gas, Japan Subway, 1996 Biological weapons—Anthrax-laced letter sent to Senate office building, 2001 Radiological—Three Mile Island Radiation Spill, 1979 Nuclear—Chernobyl Nuclear Meltdown, 1986

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The Nature of Critical Incidents

Slide 5: Types of Critical Incidents—Natural Disasters Points to Emphasize • • • •

Earthquakes Hurricanes / Tornadoes Flood Ice Storms / Blizzards

Slide 6: Types of Critical Incidents—Transportation Accidents Points to Emphasize • • • •

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Plane Crash Train derailment Motor Vehicle Accident (Truck, Car, Bus) Shipping/Boating Accident

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The Nature of Critical Incidents

Slide 7: Types of Critical Incidents—Criminal Activities Points to Emphasize • • • • •

Bombing/Explosions—Oklahoma Federal Building, 1995 Barricade Gunmen / Hostage Incidents— Columbine High School, Colorado, 1999 Arson—Worcester, Massachusetts 1999 Civil Disorder—Rodney King Verdict/Los Angeles Riots High-Risk Search/Warrant Execution— Branch Davidian Compound, Waco, Texas 1993

Slide 8: Types of Critical Incidents—Fire / Hazardous Materials Accidents Points to Emphasize • • •

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Hazardous Chemical Spills or Explosions Industrial Fires/Accidents High Rise, Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Fires

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The Nature of Critical Incidents

Slide 9: Common Characteristics Points to Emphasize •

The point here is…since all critical incidents share common characteristics, it possible to develop a universal plan that will work for every critical incident. That plan is the Seven Critical Tasks.

Slide 10: What Are the Common Characteristics? Points to Emphasize •

So what are the common characteristics that all critical incidents share? Discussion

Ask students to identify issues they had to deal with during critical incident responses. Write the list so the class can see it. Then go on to the slides and see how the class’s list compares with the author’s.

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The Nature of Critical Incidents

Points to Emphasize Note to instructor: The classic prompt to get your discussion going: Ask students to contribute to a list of common characteristics and then they just sit there and stare at you. After 30 seconds, you say, “Exactly! Communications or lack thereof!” •

Number one response issue

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Communications could encompass

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o

Equipment and technical problems

o

Personal communication (such as keeping yourself under control)

o

Proper sharing of expectations (what’s the plan and who does what?)

You don’t need to be precise in identifying the exact nature of your communication problems. The point to make here is that issues of communication occur at every single incident.

Points to Emphasize

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•

Another basic issue. Responders always want to know who’s in command.

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This becomes an even greater issue when you have multiple agencies and/or multiple jurisdictions responding.

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The Nature of Critical Incidents

Points to Emphasize •

What’s our normal problem? We don’t have enough resources. Then you get into an incident and suddenly everybody is showing up and you have more than you know what to do with. You have to coordinate those.

Points to Emphasize

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•

Confusion, panic, and emotions run high during a crisis. These can make even simple things difficult to determine. Example, several years ago a commercial jetliner crashed in San Diego and officers couldn’t communicate the exact location of the site. This was a large jet airplane!

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The impact of this is clear: poor problem assessment or intelligence gathering will result in poor decision-making and may inflame a situation rather than stabilizing or resolving it.

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Points to Emphasize •

A basic component of any crisis is a rush to the scene. If you don’t have good perimeters, you will have gridlock which will surely affect your ability to get responders and equipment to the scene and get injured victims and innocent bystanders away from it.

Points to Emphasize •

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Weather, time of day, location of the site, the surrounding topography will always have an impact on your response.

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The Nature of Critical Incidents

Points to Emphasize •

Your agency may have binders full of plans, but generally those aren’t accessible to the people on the street.

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A plan must meet the following criteria: The plan must be simple All responders must understand the plan All responders must practice that plan through scenario training

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If you don’t train to the plan, you don’t have a plan.

Points to Emphasize

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What is the one group of people that shows up at every single incident and never, ever causes a problem?

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Your relationship with the media does not have to be adversarial.

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Points to Emphasize •

Politics is something that line officers don’t think is important, but if you’re the chief, it’s your very sustenance.

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Everybody says that politicians should not have a role. The fact of the matter is they do have a role. It just shouldn’t be an operational one. Let’s face it, if you have an incident in your city, the mayor will be involved. You should be able to go to the mayor for policy directives, to approve more money, or other high-level issues, but the mayor should not be telling you where to deploy resources. The problem is that their role has never been defined for most politicians, and that’s where they get confused. This needs to be clarified ahead of time.

•

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Other types of politics can have a greater impact. o

Internal—Your agency may be looking for a new chief, and two captains who are vying for the position may not want to cooperate with each other.

o

Interagency—Can the sheriff’s dept get along with the police dept? If they don’t get along and they both respond to an incident, it’s going to be a problem.

The good news: There is now widespread recognition that all agencies need to work cooperatively should our communities come under attack. Organizations that have not traditionally interacted well are now training together and will therefore be better prepared to respond together. Discussion

So how did the list compiled by the class compare with the author’s?

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

The Nature of Critical Incidents

Slide 11: Uncontrollable vs. Controllable Factors Points to Emphasize •

What you concentrate your energies and resources on may make the difference between stabilizing a scene or letting it spiral out of control.

Slide 12: Uncontrollable Factors Points to Emphasize

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•

Obviously you can’t control when an incident happens, where it happens, or what’s going on while it happens. You can’t control the initial injuries and deaths or the types of weapons or chemicals you face. All you can do is respond to them.

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This is especially true of casualties. You can be overwhelmed by something, but you can’t change it. Consider the Oklahoma City bombing. You can be overwhelmed by the number of casualties, but you can’t do anything about that. It’s a given. You have to manage around it.

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The key point to handling uncontrollable factors is this…Focus on your response to the factor, not on the factor itself. Doing otherwise may take you away from what you are trying to accomplish.

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Slide 13: Controllable Factors Points to Emphasize Factors that you can control and that you should work actively to control include:

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Access to the scene. It’s up to you to prevent gridlock caused by the public and a potentially overwhelming emergency response.

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Limiting crowd size. The task of controlling crowds for their safety is a primary police function.

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Evacuating adjacent areas. The sooner you define who might be endangered and protect them from harm, the quicker the scene can be stabilized.

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Rerouting traffic flow. You must swiftly ensure the safety of motorists and others in the area. If possible, keep traffic flowing some distance from the scene.

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Ordering additional personnel and equipment. Try to recognize potential resource needs as soon as possible. Err on the side of caution: get resources rolling early.

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Where and how you use personnel. You allocate available resources and position them as you see fit. The decisions you make must contribute to the stabilization of the scene.

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Establishing communication with personnel. It’s up to you to maintain communication with all responders on the scene.

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Your own command presence. Your ability to take charge and issue clear and concise orders is crucial. Your attitude will affect the response of subordinates.

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Slide 14: Summary Points to Emphasize •

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We’ll discuss detailed strategies and tactics for managing all of these issues later in the course. For now, emphasize the two points below: o

A universal set of issues impact every critical incident.

o

Given that you will face a universal set of issues, it makes sense that you can implement a universal game plan to deal with those issues. This is the foundation of the “Seven Critical Tasks” approach, the approach advocated throughout this course.

Summary

We’ll discuss detailed strategies and tactics for managing all of these issues later in the course. For now, emphasize the two points below: •

A universal set of issues impact every critical incident.

•

Given that you will face a universal set of issues, it makes sense that you can implement a universal game plan to deal with those issues. This is the foundation of the “Seven Critical Tasks” approach, the approach advocated throughout this course.

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V

The Nature of Critical Incidents

End-of-Chapter Questions

1. Can you recall several of the most common obstacles to critical incident response? •

Fouled communications networks

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Poor personal communication skills

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Lack of clear command structure

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Too few/too many resources

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Lack of clear intelligence involving the incident

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Crowds of all types

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Media

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Lack of training

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Politics, both internal and external

For specifics, see pp 10-20

2. Can you state the three universal “usability” criteria for agency response plans? •

The plan must be simple

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All responders must understand the plan

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All responders must practice that plan through scenario training

For specifics, see pp 16-17

3. Can you differentiate among internal, external, and inter-agency politics? Internal politics are the interpersonal and professional tensions that occur within our own agency. External politics are those forces that affect our agency from outside, usually from civilian government, but possible from other emergency response agencies. Inter-agency politics are usually characterized by tensions between two responding agencies with a perceived difference of opinion as to jurisdiction and tactics. For specifics, see pp 18-20

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The Nature of Critical Incidents

4. Can you explain the difference between controllable and uncontrollable incident factors? Controllable factors are those scene elements over which you have control and should therefore be the focus of your energies. Examples include your own behavior, the disposition of your forces, controlling access to the scene, requesting additional resources, and communications. Uncontrollable factors are those scene elements over which you have no control but around which you must operate. Example include the weather, the local topography, the time of day, and the presence of deadly chemicals or weapons. For specifics, see pp 20-23

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Instructor’s Guide to

Critical Incident Mgmt

Two

Response Phases and Strategies

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Overview

Major events can progress through four distinct phases, each having unique characteristics and requiring special management skills. This chapter discusses each of those phases, along with potential strategies and expected outcomes.

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Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to: • • •

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Identify the main characteristics of each incident response Identify the response goals for each incident phase Identify the appropriate strategies for each incident phase

Key Terms and Concepts

Command post, 33 Crisis Phase, 28-32 Critical incident stress, 40 Debriefings, 40-41 Emergency Operations Center (EOC), 37-38 Executive Management Phase, 36-38 Gridlock, 28 Incident Action Plan (IAP), 35, 38 Incident Command System (ICS), 29, 34-36, 37

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Proactive management, 33 Response assessment, 40-41 Resuming normal operations, 40 Scene integrity, 39-40 Scene Management Phase, 32-36 Seven Critical Tasks, 30 Stabilization, 29-31 Tactical command, 29-30 Unified command, 34-35

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Response Phases and Strategies

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Presentation Slides

Slide 1

Slide 2: Phases of a Critical Incident Points to Emphasize

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•

How an incident progresses through these phases may be different for each incident.

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Not all incidents progress through each phase. o At a minimum, every incident will have a Crisis Phase and Termination Phase. Example: an incident involves a barricaded gunman. You show up, and he throws out the gun. You go straight to Termination. o

Other incident may progress through Crisis, Scene Management, and Termination. This is the majority of incidents. You go through the Crisis Phase, you establish an on-scene command post, you call up resources which arrive, and you are able to resolve the incident.

o

The Executive Management Phase may be required for catastrophic events. Either you have multiple 2-2

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Response Phases and Strategies

scenes (such as a tornado that touches down in several locations) or the incident is just too big to manage from the scene (such as the 2001 terrorist attach on the Pentagon). Note: The World Trade Center incident in 2001 was really two scenes: the south tower and the north tower.

Slide 3: Phases of a Critical Incident Points to Emphasize •

Overview of CIM chart (see pages 26-27 of book). Phases are shown going across the top. Particulars for each phase are shown going down.

Slide 4: Crisis Phase Points to Emphasize •

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All critical incidents have a crisis phase. The chart on page 26 shows that phase’s characteristics, goals, strategies and outcomes.

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Slide 5: Crisis Phase—Characteristics Points to Emphasize •

The big issue here is…What do we have? Where is it? This isn’t always easy to determine.

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Confusion and panic (even by responders) tend to inhibit communication and can make even the simplest task difficult to accomplish. For example, several years ago a commercial plane crashed in San Diego. Officers on the street couldn’t communicate exactly where the crash scene was (Felton Street or Falcon Street?). Even with vehicle as large as a commercial airliner, the emergency responders couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the scene.

Slide 6: Crisis Phase—Goals Points to Emphasize

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Key point to make: Our goal is containment, not resolution. If you focus on resolution before you stabilize the scene, the scene may continue to grow.

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If everybody rushes in to rescue the injured, you will have gridlock and the situation will become worse. Use any mass casualty event as an example. If you want to rescue people, make sure you can get them out of the scene.

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Nobody sees directing traffic as a lifesaving activity, but it truly is. If responders clog the scene and you can’t egress from it, you won’t be able to get the injured to emergency treatment centers. The end result…the incident will get much worse.

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Slide 7: Crisis Phase—Response Strategies Points to Emphasize

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Initiate tactical management style— Giving orders is a lost art. Supervisors don’t give orders, and therefore subordinates don’t follow them. But there are things you can do to remedy that. (We cover this in detail in the next chapter.)

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First responding supervisor initiates the Seven Critical Tasks—the keys to stabilization. (We cover the Seven Critical Tasks in Chapter 4.)

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Identify initial ICS functions needed—As people start to arrive, what am I going to delegate to others? If you delegate handling the media to somebody else, you have created an Information Officer. If you ask someone to stay with you as a safety check, you have activated a Safety Officer. As you start to delegate, you are starting to identify the initial ICS functions. (We cover ICS in Chapter 5.)

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Evaluate resource requirements—What am I going to need in terms of both people and equipment?

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Evaluate evacuation and/or shelter-inplace requirements—Every incident will have issues of either evacuating folks or sheltering them in place. In crisis phase, sheltering-in-place is usually preferable since it requires fewer resources. When you get to Scene Mgmt, you may start talking about moving people out of there because you may have the resources to do it. (We cover evacuation and shelter-inplace in Chapter 6.)

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Slide 8: Crisis Phase—Outcomes Points to Emphasize •

It might get resolved, but remember, this is not the goal. Our goal is containment, so the most likely outcome will be move to Scene Management Phase.

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It’s a simple either-or proposition: If not resolved, move to Scene Management Phase. If resolved, move to Termination Phase.

Slide 9: Scene Management Phase Points to Emphasize •

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This is where the majority of incidents will be resolved. The chart on page 26 shows the characteristics, goals, strategies and outcomes.

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Slide 10: Scene Management Phase—Characteristics Points to Emphasize •

Once the incident is stable, you have time to think. Consider the example of a barricaded gunman. Once you have stabilized the scene (meaning…the gunman is contained and he is not going anywhere), the situation will not get worse if the incident takes three hours or three days to resolve. Now you have time to think.

Slide 11: Scene Management Phase—Goal Points to Emphasize •

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Now’s the time to focus on resolving the incident.

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Slide 12: Scene Management Phase—Response Strategies Points to Emphasize •

Build your team. Up till now you have been making decisions, giving orders, and requesting all sorts of resources. Now the scene has stabilized and your resources have arrived. Build a decision-making team to formulate and implement action plans. Again consider the example of a barricaded gunman. You may have initially sheltered-in-place those who could be at risk, but now you have to think, “We can’t do that indefinitely. If this is going to go on for a lengthy period of time, we had better make plans to evacuate those people out of the area.”

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Shift your management style. You don’t need to autocratic any longer. Now’s the time to become a team-builder. Delegate authority to perform tasks. Empower and enable others.

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Activate a unified command. Simply put, police manage the police, fire manages fire, EMS manages EMS, etc. But the guys in charge of these various responding agencies need to talk to other to ensure a coordinated response. When the responding leaders get together, you are well on your way to an effective unified command structure. This doesn’t require a complex communication system. Get in your car and drive to the other guy’s command post. This is the 99-cent theory—you could pop for a million dollars to change all your communication equipment or you can spend 99 cents in gas and come together at a command post.

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Slide 13: Scene Management Phase—Outcomes Points to Emphasize •

If you can’t resolve it, if it is too big to resolve, then you have to go to the next level.

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Be proactive. Don’t wait for things to go from bad to worse. You might want to move to the next phase as a contingency. For example, Vince Faggiano, one of the authors, once got a call for a suspicious device in storage area of a chemical plant. He set up a command post at the scene. Then he asked an official at the plant, “What happens if this is a bomb and it detonates? How many people will be affected?” The official took a map of the county and drew a funnel showing the likely area that would be impacted, given the amount of the chemicals and the wind and weather conditions. The answer was around 70,000 people. You cannot manage something of that magnitude from an on-scene command post. That led to the need for a higherlevel of command because of the possibility of the site being overwhelmed. There doesn’t need to be a great deal of activity at the Executive Operations Center, but you have to start preparing for that possibility. This a good reason to activate a Planning/Intelligence section, one of the primary ICS functions. You’ve then got someone thinking “what if…”

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Slide 14: Executive Management Phase Points to Emphasize •

This is it. There’s not another level and you don’t transition back to Scene Management as the response winds down. Once you’re here, you stay here until it’s over…whatever it takes, how ever long it takes.

Slide 15: Executive Management Phase—Characteristics Points to Emphasize

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•

Often involves multiple jurisdictions and multiple agencies, such as federal, state, and local agencies.

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This is another reason for NIMS and ICS. If all responding agencies are using the same management system, they have a better chance of working effectively together.

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Slide 16: Executive Management Phase—Goal Points to Emphasize •

Generally at the Scene Mgmt level, if you activate the basic functions and command staff, you’re good. At Exec Mgmt level, you will have to fully expand the system to fully coordinate and manage the response. This is the OKC bombing and 9/11 World Trade Center, where they were active for several months. But it could be used for incidents that don’t rise to that magnitude. Discussion

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Consider the chemical plant example just mentioned. Talk about how the scene management resources would have been overwhelmed if a bomb had exploded at the chemical plant.

Slide 17: Executive Management Phase—Response Strategies Points to Emphasize

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•

Key point: The EOC is activated to support field operations mgmt. It is not there to micromanage field operations. When we establish this level, we do so to provide support because the incident is too big for each scene to function on its own.

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EOC personnel generally work more on long-term planning than operational planning. They may be more involved in termination plans.

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Slide 18: Executive Management Phase—Outcomes Points to Emphasize •

You stay in Executive Management until the incident is resolved. Activity may decrease to the point of shutting down, but you don’t transition back to Scene Management. Technically, you are in Exec Mgmt until Termination.

Slide 19: Termination Phase Points to Emphasize •

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It’s not over yet. Every critical incident should have a Termination Phase, where you have a new characteristics, goals, and strategies, all pointing to crucial outcomes.

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Slide 20: Termination Phase—Characteristics Points to Emphasize •

The barricaded gunman has been taken in. The hazmat spill has been cleaned up. All the injured people have been take to the hospital. It is no longer an active incident, but you can’t just say, “Okay, everybody, go back to what you were doing before this thing started.” There is always a transitional period.

Slide 21: Termination Phase—Goals Points to Emphasize

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•

Maintaining scene integrity is crucial. There is a tendency for everybody to rush a site once the incident is resolved. But you can’t let that happen. It may be a crime scene that needs to be processed. At the very least you will have to gather information about the accident. Issue a directive that all people maintaining perimeter positions should continue to do so.

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Develop a clear plan for returning to normal operations. Don’t simply tell people to go back to what they were doing before the incident. Debriefings must occur; counseling needs to be provided to help mitigate stress and other lingering issues. And you need to plan for evaluations and updates to existing plans and procedures to enable the agency to improve its response to the next incident.

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Slide 22: Termination Phase—Response Strategies Points to Emphasize •

Conduct both tactical debriefs and stress debriefs. Issues to address include: o Who do we have where? o Have they all been relieved? o Are they okay? o Who was injured?

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Most important, you have to evaluate o What happened? o What was our response? What would we do different next time? o How we can improve that response?

Slide 23: Termination Phase—Outcomes Points to Emphasize •

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The importance of termination activities cannot be overemphasized. To bring this point home, consider the World Trade Center. The WTC was attacked twice, first by a truck bomb in 1993 and then by aircraft in 2001. After the 1993 incident, response officials took a “what can we learn” approach, looking at issues such as structural changes, evacuation teams and fire monitors. This work paid huge dividends. In 1993 it took over four and half hours to evacuate the towers. In 2001 it was done in less than 90 minutes. Most assuredly, applying the “lessons learned” saved thousands of lives.

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Slide 24: Summary Points to Emphasize

AD

iscussion

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Breaking down an incident into distinct phases gives you clear-cut objectives to focus on and strategies for accomplishing them.

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If nothing else, the most important lesson you can take from this is do not try to resolve an incident until you have contained it. Trying to do otherwise will likely make matters worse.

P

oint

Specific Incidents Talk about incidents that students have participated in or that have occurred in the area. 1. Did the incidents have clear lines of demarcation between phases? Identify what constituted each phase and when the transitions occurred from one phase to the next. 2. Were there incidents that went straight from Crisis Phase to Termination Phase? 3. Were there incidents that went from Crisis, to Scene Management, to Termination? 4. Were there incidents that went through all four phases? 5. Do you know of “lessons learned” activities for previous incidents that had a positive impact on later incidents? What lessons have you learned that you can apply to future incidents?

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Response Phases and Strategies

Summary

Breaking down an incident into distinct phases gives you clear-cut objectives to focus on and strategies for accomplishing them. And if nothing else, the most important lesson you can take from this chapter is do not try to resolve an incident until you have contained it. Trying to do otherwise will likely make matters worse.

V

End-of-Chapter Questions

1. What are the characteristics of an incident in the crisis phase? The crisis phase is characterized by confusion, panic, rush to scene, and gridlock. For specifics, see pp 28-29 2. What are the primary goals of the first responding supervisor in the crisis phase? •

Stabilize the scene

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Limit acceleration and growth of the incident

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Ensure citizen and responder safety

For specifics, see pp 29-31 3. What are two strategies for the first responding supervisor in the crisis phase? •

Initiate a tactical management style

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Initiate the Seven Critical Tasks

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Identify initial ICS functions needed

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Evaluate resource requirements

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Evaluate evacuation and/or sheltering-in-place requirements

For specifics, see pp 29-31 4. What three questions should be asked during the assessment of an incident in the termination phase? •

What happened?

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What was our response?

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What would we do differently next time?

For specifics, see pp 40-41

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Instructor’s Guide to

Critical Incident Mgmt

Three

Tactical Leadership

à

Overview

Chapter 1 talked about focusing on controllable factors. We have long subscribed to the theory that the most controllable factor in any response is you. This chapter is designed to help the students become effective tactical leaders.

@

Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to: • • •

%

Identify the factors that determine leadership style Describe the value of tactical leadership in the crisis phase List the skills that must be mastered by the effective tactical leader

Key Terms and Concepts

Autocratic leadership, 45-46 Civil liability, 53-54 Decision making, 49-50 Leadership style, 44-47 Orders, 50-52

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Practice, 46-47 Problem assessment, 47-49 Situational leadership, 43-44 Universal game plan, 55-56

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Tactical Leadership

‡

Presentation Slides

Slide 1

Slide 2: Leadership Variables Points to Emphasize •

The roles played by the supervisor and the subordinate may change based on their experience and qualifications. For example, if the supervisor at barricaded gunman scene has a SWAT background, he or she will likely be very comfortable giving directives. On the other hand, if the supervisor has no SWAT background but has an officer on scene who does, that supervisor may turn to the officer and ask, “What do you think?”

•

The most important variable is the criticality of the task. Many people shy away from autocratic leadership these days, but you must use it during a crisis. Say, for instance, there’s a fire in the back of the classroom. You probably wouldn’t say, “We’ve got a fire in the back. Any ideas on how we should leave?” A better response would be to say, “There’s a fire in the back of the classroom. I want you up and out that door now!”

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Slide 3: The Need for Tactical Leadership Points to Emphasize •

Taking an authoritarian approach will not breed resentment. When there is confusion and panic, people generally welcome being told what to do.

•

A command presence is crucial. If you are in control, your people will likely be in control. We generally manage scenes using radios. If you on the air yelling and screaming, “Oh my God, what are we going to do?” Your people are going to be, “Oh my God, what are we going to do?” It’s similar to a canine team. Everything goes down lead. If the handler is excitable and out of control, the dog will excitable and out of control. If the handler is calm and in control, the dog will be too.

Slide 4: Taking Charge Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Participatory vs. Authoritative (Are you a coach or a player?) If you don’t coach, then you are a player and nobody is running the team.

•

Consider the experience of Tom Gillespie, one of the authors of this book. He responded to a scene and wanted to show that he wasn’t too good to direct traffic. One of his officers was subsequently injured by something that could have been prevented. That was when Tom realized his role was not to direct traffic; it was to make sure all his officers were safe. The only way to focus on that is to take in the big picture, the picture only a coach can view.

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Slide 5: Problem Assessment Points to Emphasize •

Basic point to make: Poor problem assessment or intelligence gathering will result in poor decision-making. Without a doubt, poor problem assessment or intelligence gathering inflame a situation.

•

Confusion and emotions will hinder accurate communication. The result is that even simple things are difficult to determine. In a hostage situation, it might be how many suspects and what type of weapons? At Columbine High School, after 30 minutes they still didn’t know how many suspects or what type of weapons. All they knew for certain was that they were outgunned. In an incident involving chemicals, nothing is clear cut until a hazmat team confirms the exact nature of the chemical from three independent sources. All the first responder knows is that something that shouldn’t be released is leaking from its container. Even the exact location of the incident can be difficult to determine. Remember the example we’ve used before about the jet airliner crashing in San Diego?

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Slide 6: Problem Assessment—Inappropriate Responses Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

“Chicken Little”—Every event is a critical incident. Calls out the mobile command post to address three-car accidents. Could be handled by on-duty resources there.

•

“One Riot, One Ranger”—Nothing is a critical incident. True story: A watch commander, who survived D-day as a 17 year old youth, was on scene of an incident involving a bomb. He picked up the bomb, put it in his car, and took it down to police headquarters. He placed then it on the desk of his commanding officer and said, “Hey, they had a bomb down there.” For this guy, there was no such thing as a critical incident. Compared to D-Day, everything else paled.

•

Don’t forget what constitutes a critical incident: If the event can’t be resolved by the first responding officer and it meets the two basic criteria (1. lives and property are at risk, and 2. requires the commitment and coordination of numerous resources to resolve), then it’s a critical incident.

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Tactical Leadership

Slide 7: Problem Assessment—Dangers of Prejudging an Incident Points to Emphasize •

Incoming calls are not always accurate. What you expect may not be what you find. Frequently what we hear on the radio and what we find at the scene are radically different. Consider these incidents and their initial calls: o o o o

The 1993 WTC bombing—Respond “for a transformer fire. Columbine High School—Check for a student down in the parking lot. The Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City—Check for a gas main explosion. Fairfield University, where a person purportedly had a bomb and 27 hostages—Check for book bags being thrown out a window.

Do your students have examples of their own? •

Small problems can become big problems. Simple calls can accelerated into big problems. Consider o o o

Domestic calls Routine traffic stops Checkpoints

Do your students have examples of their own?

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Slide 8: Problem Assessment—Using Resources Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Don’t just talk to your own people. Use anyone or anything that can help you.

•

As mentioned earlier, confusion and emotions will hinder accurate communication. The result is that even simple things are difficult to determine.

•

Problem assessment will be an ongoing issue. Keep asking questions so you can effectively adjust your actions to fit a situation that may be evolving.

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Slide 9: Decision Making Points to Emphasize •

In a crisis phase, you need to get some basic information and start making decisions, sometimes before you have all the information. If you do try to get all the information first, you could get locked into inaction.

•

Will those decisions change as you gather more information? Absolutely. But you can’t go into a detailed informationseeking mode for an hour and a half while the incident spirals out of control. Make some decisions and then re-evaluate those decisions as new information comes to light.

•

It’s crucial that the on-scene supervisor has the authority to make decisions. In a crisis, you cannot always or easily defer to a higher level of command.

Slide 10: Decision Making—Civil Liability Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lawsuits will happen, regardless of what you do. So don’t worry about them. Always act as a reasonable person and you will be protected. Get the best information you can, and then make a reasonable decision based on that information.

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Slide 11: Issuing Orders Points to Emphasize Once you’ve done your problem assessment and made decisions, you now need to issue clear and concise orders. •

Use simple language and be very precise. Don’t wax poetically or use highfalutin words. Tell them to “go to A and do B.” Make sure what they hear is what you want them to do. Have them repeat your orders back to you so you know that they understand and that you didn’t make a mistake. Sometimes the instructions you envision in your mind’s eye are not the instructions that come out of your mouth. In those cases, people do the wrong thing, but it’s not because they messed up. They simply did exactly what you told them to. Having them repeat your orders guards against that.

Slide 12: Practicing Tactical Leadership Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Practice lets everybody hone their skills, both you giving orders and your subordinates following orders.

•

Practice at minor scenes where supervisors often stand back and say, “My people know what to do.” As practice, take control of those scenes and deploy your people instead of letting them deploy themselves. Scenes that you might use for practice include relatively minor traffic accidents and building searches.

•

Share with the subordinates what you are doing. If you start being autocratic at scenes where you really don’t need to be, you may end up creating conflict that 3-9

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doesn’t need to exist. If you tell the subordinates what you plan to do and why you are doing it, you probably won’t have any problems.

Slide 13: Summary Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

You have to be authoritative. o Take charge o Assess the problem o Make decisions o Issue direct orders

•

Practice, practice, practice

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:A

ctivity

Exercise 1 Put students in the position of being first on-scene at an incident. Have them volunteer the types of questions they would ask to get the intelligence they need. Talk about the resources that could be used to get that intelligence. You might be able to use a recent local incident or create a scenario yourself. Incident types that you could use include: • • •

A hostage situation A tanker spill A mass-casualty bus accident

Exercise 2 Create a scenario and have students issue orders for immediate action. A good possibility is the earlier example of a fire in the back of the classroom. What orders might be given? Address issues such as • • • •

What should we do? How do we leave? Who goes first? What do we do after we’re outside?

After completing the exercise, critique the orders, looking for what was good and what could be improved.

†

Summary

You must be authoritative in the Crisis Phase of an incident. You must take charge, assess the problem, make decisions, and then issue clear, direct orders. You can’t expect to be an effective authoritative leader unless you have practice this role. Work with your subordinates during noncritical events to improve both your skills and theirs.

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Tactical Leadership

End-of-Chapter Questions

1. What are three factors that can determine management style? •

The subordinate

•

The supervisor

•

The criticality of the task

For specifics, see pp 43-44 2. How are team members and the public likely to respond to tactical leadership in the crisis phase? They will most likely be reassured that the situation seems to be in capable hands. Autocratic leadership during a crisis rarely engenders resentment in subordinates or the public. For specifics, see pp 44-45 3. How can you hone your tactical command presence? By practicing! Practice on incidents that are not critical, but be sure to warn subordinates in advance. You must then carefully review the results afterwards. For specifics, see pp 46-47 4. List four skills that must be mastered by the effective tactical leader. •

Assess problems by taking in and evaluating data

•

Decide on an appropriate course of action

•

Clearly relate that course of action to others

•

Maintain a command presence

For specifics, see pp 47

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to

Critical Incident Mgmt

Four

Seven Critical Tasks

à

Overview

The Seven Critical Tasks presented in this chapter give you a step-by-step plan that you can apply to any incident. Regardless of what you face, these tasks will get you moving in the right direction.

@

Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to: • • • •

%

State the value of a “universal game plan” for crisis phase response Establish a control-oriented response to the crisis phase Describe each of the Seven Critical Tasks Identify resources you can bring to bear on a critical incident

Key Terms and Concepts

Command post, 72-76 Communications, 59-60 Control, 56-57 Controlled movement, 62 Crowds, 68-69 Evacuation, 67-68 Fixed-site command post, 74-75 Inner perimeter, 63-68 Kill zone, 60-62 Mobile command post vehicle, 76

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Official resources, 83-84 Outer perimeter, 68-71 Problem assessment, 57-59 Realistic resources, 84-85 Resources, 78-85 Shelter-in-place, 67 Staging area, 76-78 Tunnel vision, 56 Universal game plan, 55-56

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‡

Presentation Slides

Slide 1

Slide 2: Universal Game Plan Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

A universal game plane will get you moving in the right direction, even if you’re not sure what you’re facing.

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Seven Critical Tasks

Slide 3: Seven Critical Tasks Points to Emphasize •

Accomplish all the tasks and you will enhance your chance of success. Omit any specific task and your job of containment and stabilization will be much more difficult.

•

The tasks are numbered but do not need to be accomplished in any particular order. For example, a supervisor in Car 20 is en route to a scene and states, “Car 20, I’m responding to the incident. I’ll be in command. I want no cars on Main between 2nd and 3rd, and start me a SWAT team.” This supervisor has already started three of the tasks. ¾ He is taking control and communicating that control. ¾ He is isolating the kill zone ¾ He is requesting resources.

•

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Think of the tasks as pieces of a puzzle. Put them together in whatever order makes sense for the incident you face.

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Seven Critical Tasks

Slide 4: Establish Control and Communications Points to Emphasize •

One of the first things to do is actively take command and announce that you’re doing so. Not doing this can lead to confusion. It’s not unusual for 20 or 30 minutes to go by and people not knowing who’s in charge. One simple announcement can clarify that.

•

Taking command means just that: Take command; don’t be a participant. An example: During the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, the upper-level command of the Port Authority Police Department engaged in active rescue, understandably motivated by a desire to protect lives and property. But they didn’t assume leadership roles; they became active participants. The 911 Commission stated that that led to a lack of direction from the top.

•

In the cases of multiple agency responses, each agency should manage its own area of expertise. Police manages police; fire manages fire, EMS manages EMS, etc.

•

Each area focuses on its own area of responsibility, but the leaders of those areas need to work together so they are not acting at cross-purposes. This is the first aspect of unified command.

•

Most multiple-agency responses have transitions. There may be a time when police is in charge. Then there may be a time when fire is in charge (or some other agency or discipline). This can go back and forth depending upon what is going on at the incident. For example, if you have a bomb, the police may be in charge due to the criminal nature of incident. If the bomb goes off, fire or rescue may take over to deal with the results of the bomb. After that is addressed, it may transition back to

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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the police to protect and process the crime scene. •

A transition is usually based on what’s the main objective to be accomplished at that moment. That varies from incident to incident, but with unified command, it is a simple transition. No matter who has the lead role at any given moment, you can have a smooth transition if you’re using unified command.

Points to Emphasize •

Your objective: Finding out exactly what it going on.

•

In law enforcement, the majority of times the initial call is not accurate. Often what the call says to respond to is not what we find once we get there. It is usually something less serious. You may get a call for a man with a gun. It may a family problem or a neighborhood issue and somebody says, “I think he’s got a gun in there.” That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s got a gun out and is ready to use it. We condition ourselves that the call is less than what we are going to deal with. In a critical incident, however, it is usually a whole lot more. Consider the first calls for these critical incidents: ¾ The 1991 World Trade Center bombing: Check for a transformer fire. ¾ The Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City: Check for a gas main explosion. ¾ Columbine High School: Check for a student down in parking lot. ¾ Fairfield University in Connecticut (where a man with a bomb was taking hostages): Check for book bags being thrown out the window.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Use communications to establish you are in control and to take on the attributes of tactical leadership. You become autocratic, issuing directives to subordinates. Get as much as you can about what’s going on from the first cars on scene and then give direct orders.

•

Leave the incident on the originating frequency. We have a tendency to take unusual incidents to alternate frequencies. Don’t do that during the crisis phase. You usually end up with people on two channels, so it’s easy to get confused. And you may have people in harm’s way who can’t make a change. You don’t want to leave them hanging.

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Slides 5 & 6: Identify the Kill Zone Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

The first thing you want to identify is the area to be avoided. You might say, “No cars on Main between Second and Third.” It could be nobody on the Interstate between mile marker 70.8 and 70.9. Or in a rural area, no one on the road between the hedge row and the barn. Whatever it is, just identify the area to be avoided.

•

No one goes in or goes out of the kill zone unless it’s a controlled access and egress. The reason to control access is obvious: you don’t want someone needlessly moving into danger. But you also have to control egress. In a criminal incident, you don’t want give the suspect a chance to mix with a crowd and escape. In a hazmat incident, you don’t want people leaving who could spread the contamination. At the same time you don’t want to leave them in the kill zone so it must be a controlled egress, moving them to an area of safe refuge where they can be decontaminated, etc.

•

As shown in the example of a hazardous materials spill, some kill zones can be quite large.

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Slides 7 & 8: Establish the Inner Perimeter Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

The inner perimeter is the immediate area around the kill zone.

•

Its purpose: control and contain the scene. Don’t let the incident grow and get worse.

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Slides 9 & 10: Establish the Outer Perimeter Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Main purpose is crowd control. The outer perimeter should be an area where crowds can form safely, because that’s where they’ll be. Crowd control ensures two things: responders can do their jobs and the public is kept safe.

•

A good outer perimeter is crucial during a mass casualty incident. When you have lots of injured, you will have lots of police, fire, and EMS personnel rushing to the scene. If you don’t control an outer perimeter, you will surely have gridlock as responders drive their vehicles to as close to the incident as they can. This will hinder transporting the injured since the closest EMS units will be blocked in.

•

You have to control everything between the inner and outer perimeters. So get as far back as you need to be, but as close as you can be and still be safe. Obviously you’ll have a better chance controlling something that is a square block in size than you would controlling something that’s a square mile.

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Slides 11 & 12: Establish the On-Scene Command Post Points to Emphasize •

The ultimate decisions about a response are made at the command post (CP), so it has to be a place where you can think clearly. It should be ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Out of the elements Away from the noise Far enough away so it’s safe Secured Heated or cooled, depending on the season.

•

The supervisor’s car will likely be the initial CP. It can remain such as long as the all the decision makers can fit into the car. As soon as you get more than two people (if there’s a screen or a cage between the front and back seats) or four people (if there isn’t), then you have to transition to either a fixed CP or a mobile CP.

•

Open air street corners are horrible command posts. You don’t want to be standing next to loud, heavy equipment. If you are broadcasting with lots of noise in the background, your directives can easily be misunderstood.

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Slides 13 & 14: Establish a Staging Area Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

What’s our normal problem? We don’t have enough resources. Then you get into an incident, suddenly everybody is showing up and you have more than you know what to do with. You have to coordinate those resources, which makes a staging area essential

•

Staging area should be inside the outer perimeter. That way, resources can get where they are needed without interrupting the flow of the response.

•

If you find a good staging area just outside the outer perimeter, adjust your perimeter.

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Slides 15 & 16: Identify and Request Additional Resources Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Order your resources early because it will take time for them to arrive. That is why stabilization is so crucial in the crisis phase. Once the scene is stabilized, it may not matter how long it takes for the resources to get there. For example, if you have a gunman barricaded in a house and he is controlled and contained (in other words, he’s not going anywhere), then it really doesn’t matter whether it takes an hour or three hours for SWAT to get there.

•

Official resources may include SWAT, hostage negotiators, bomb squads, and personnel with special skills such as military training, advanced first aid, and media experience.

•

Depending upon how your public safety department is organized and upon what agreements you have with other agencies, you may also find official resources available through fire, EMS, and other public safety groups.

•

Unofficial resources are all resources that can’t be classified as official. These can be items your agency doesn’t provide or substitutes for official resources that you know you can’t get in a timely manner. Local business such as hardware stores, department stores, lumbar yards, grocery stores and industrial plants can be good sources of unofficial resources.

•

The media will be at every event so you might as well work with them instead of against them. If you have a good relationship with the media and the ground rules for working together are clearly understood by all, you will likely find the media to be very helpful. TV and radio 4-12

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Seven Critical Tasks

personnel can assist crowd control by advising viewers and listeners to avoid an area. Ways in which you can use the media are limited only by your creativity. In some past events, news helicopters have helped with intelligence gathering. TV lights have been used to illuminate rescue scenes. As stated before, though, to work with the media you have to have a good relationship with the media, and you can’t wait until an incident occurs to start building one.

•

Be prepared to improvise, meaning…be inventive. Realistically, what can you expect to be available on a holiday or at 2 o’clock in the morning? You need to know what resources are available then, not just the resources listed in your agency manuals.

•

If you need a resource and you can’t get it, think about possible substitutes. For example, what if you need a cover vehicle? If your agency doesn’t have one, you might be able to get an armored personnel carrier (APC) from the National Guard, but the process for doing so could take hours. So what’s a possible alternative? An armor car might work. So might a compacting garbage truck. Try to think about alternatives to resources before the next incident occurs. Also think about how you would go about acquiring these resources.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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AD

iscussion

P

oint

So What’s Available? Discuss the various resources you might be able to use in a response. 1. What official resources are… Available through law enforcement agencies? --SWAT? --Hostage negotiators? --Bomb squad? --People with special skills? Military training? Advanced first aid? Media experience? Available through the fire department? Available through EMS? Available through other public safety agencies? 2. What are some unofficial resources that might be available? What might be some sources of these unofficial resources? Local businesses (hardware stores, department stores, lumber yards)? Local industries (refineries or chemical plants for a hazmat incident)? 3. How would you tap these resources… During normal work hours? During off hours and on holidays? 4. How might the media be helpful during an incident? What sorts of ground rules should be in place when working with the media? How could you go about building a good working relationship with the media now?

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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:A

ctivity

Use a case to walkthrough applying the Seven Critical Tasks. The case could be a past incident that the students are familiar with or simply create one yourself. One possible scenario could involve a barricaded gunman who storms into a college president’s office and takes the president hostage. Use a map projected on a wall and the table below to guide your walkthrough. Task Establish control and communication

•

Questions to ask How would you establish control of the response?

•

What questions would you ask to find out what’s going on? What are some possible sources of answers to those questions?

•

How would you set up your initial communications?

•

What would be the kill zone for this incident?

•

What command would you issue to isolate kill zone?

•

Where would you setup your inner perimeter?

•

What resources would you use to establish that perimeter?

•

Where would you setup your outer perimeter?

•

What resources would you use to establish that perimeter?

Establish the on-scene command post

•

Where would you setup your command post?

•

Would you use a mobile or fixed-site CP?

Establish a staging area

•

Where would you setup your staging area?

Identify and request additional resources

•

What resources do you need right now? What resources might you need later?

•

What official resources are available?

•

What unofficial resources might be helpful and how would you get them?

Identify the kill zone

Establish the inner perimeter

Establish the outer perimeter

After the class has completed the exercise, hand out maps and repeat the exercise as an assignment for individual students or teams. You can use a similar case in a different location or create a different type of incident. Tips for Instructor •

Keep the case simple. Don’t make the scenario so complex that the students have difficulty applying the tasks. For example, a large chemical spill is not a good case

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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because the kill zone may be large and, given the effects of wind and terrain, may be moving. Also, the inner and outer perimeters for a chemical spill can so large that they are difficult to manage. Instead, use a case where the kill zone and perimeters are easy to identify as are possible locations for a command post and staging area. •

Use a projector to post a map where everyone can see it. That would be the best way to do it in an actual command post, so it makes sense to do it for classroom training as well.

•

If you can’t use a campus map, you might be able to find a detailed local map online as a site such as mapquest.com.

†

Summary

No doubt it took longer to review the Seven Critical Tasks than it would take to implement them in the field. Remember, these tasks give you the universal game plan that will work for any incident, regardless of when or where it happens or how serious it is. Perform these tasks every time and you’ll always be moving in the right direction.

V

End-of-Chapter Questions

1. If incidents share common characteristics, then you should be able to apply…what? A “universal game plan” to address those characteristics and bring the incident under control. The seven critical tasks make up that game plan. For specifics, see pp 55 2. What are your primary goals in the crisis phase? •

Stabilize the scene

•

Limit acceleration and growth of the incident

•

Ensure citizen and responder safety

For specifics, see pp 29-31 3. Can you think of how the Seven Critical Tasks would have applied to an incident in which you have participated? Any type of incident will work here, from a serious multi-car MVA, to an armed robbery. Have students map events to each of the tasks. © 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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4. What are the criteria for the appropriate placement of the command post and staging areas? Between the inner and outer perimeters, out of line-of-sight of the kill zone and, if possible, upwind. For specifics, see pp 72-78 5. Can you think of some realistic resources you can call on in your jurisdiction? Anything is possible here. Possibilities include school buses for evacuation, landscape companies for dirt needed to dam a hazmat spill, and restaurants capable of supplying emergency food to responders and victims. For specifics, see pp 78-85

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to

Critical Incident Mgmt

Five

NIMS & ICS

à

Overview

Events such as 9/11 have forced the United States to recognize that emergency response must be a coordinated effort at all levels of government. To address this need, the federal government developed the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The scene management strategies we discuss in this chapter and book are the working end of this program.

@

Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to: • • • •

%

Recall the major components of the National Incident Management System Describe the role and duties of the Incident Commander Recognize the functional areas of the Incident Command System Apply the Incident Command System to both planned events and unplanned critical incidents

Key Terms and Concepts

Agency Representatives, 110 Common terminology, 111 Comprehensive resource management, 101-102 Deputy Incident Commander, 105 Finance, 104 ICS Components, 91 Incident Action Plan, 94-95 Incident Command System (ICS), 89-111 Incident Commander (IC), 93-97 Incident Log/Scribe, 107-109 Information Officer, 109 Integrated communications, 102

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Liaison Officer, 110 Logistics, 101-104 Manageable span-of-control, 98-99 Modular organization, 92-104 National Incident Management System (NIMS), 88-89 Operations, 97-99 Planning and Intelligence, 99-100 Planned events, 112-115 Pre-designated incident facilities, 102 Safety Officer, 106-107 Unified Command Structure, 95-97

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‡

Presentation Slides

Slide 1

Slide 2: NIMS Points to Emphasize See FEMA material on NIMS for expanded course information. Information available includes • A course summary • Facilitator’s Guide • Facilitator’s Notes • A PowerPoint presentation for each of the 8 lessons • Final exam There is also a Self-Study guide you can hand out to students if you are not able to present the course material in class. The NIMS material is available in the NIMS folder found in NIMS folder of this CD. You can also find the most current NIMS material in the Education and Training section of the FEMA website, located at www.fema.gov.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Slide 3: Incident Command System Points to Emphasize •

ICS was initially developed by the Southern California fire service in the 1970s to coordinate wildfire management.

•

You can expand or contract the ICS structure according to the size, scope, and seriousness of the incident you face. You can also adapt it to accommodate the agencies involved and the objectives and strategies selected to control the incident.

Slide 4: ICS Components Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

The number of components may seem overwhelming, but they really aren’t that complex. You are probably familiar with many of them already.

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Slide 5: Modular Organization Points to Emphasize •

Your organization builds from the top down and you activate only the functions you need. In a small traffic accident, you may handle the incident by yourself. In a major incident, you may need groups of people to fill each of the roles.

•

More on Modular Organization later.

Slide 6: Unified Command Structure Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Critical incidents do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries or the scope of agency activity. You will likely find yourself working with fire and EMS, and possibly with other public safety agencies at the local, state, and federal levels.

•

Anytime you have more than one discipline responding, you need unified command.

•

Unified command should start as soon as you come together on scene.

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Slide 7: Incident Action Plans Points to Emphasize •

An IAP focuses everybody. It specifically states your objectives for a given time period. The gist of it might be…here’s what we want to accomplish in the next hour or the next two hours or the next day.

•

Always have at least one backup IAP. Incident will shift; you must be ready to shift with it.

Slide 8: Common Terminology Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

One frequent problem is everybody talks in code. In law enforcement, there is no common terminology for anything. Some call it a badge, others call it a shield. Using ICS reduces misinterpretation.

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Slide 9: Integrated Communications Points to Emphasize •

Defines how we’re going to communicate within this organization we are setting up.

•

It should be similar to a modular organization in that it should expand or contract as need be. For example, as soon as your network starts to get overwhelmed, you should expand it to relieve the pressure. By the time it’s all said and done, you may end up with a network that includes o

Command frequency—Used by those planning, strategizing, and managing

o

Tactical frequency—Used by those implementing the strategies

o

Support frequency—Used by those supporting the command and tactical operations

Slide 10: Manageable Span-of-Control Points to Emphasize •

This is biggest difference between law enforcement and fire. Fire arrives on scene with a manageable span of control. And if you call for more fire resources, they will show up with companies that include their own supervisors. Law enforcement typically doesn’t have this. You might have one supervisor handling four or five cars in his area, but now you have all sorts of resources showing up to assist. If ICS is not used, we often end up with one supervisor trying to do it all.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Slide 11: Pre-Designated Incident Facilities Points to Emphasize •

Each incident is different so each incident will dictate the required facilities and appropriate locations. But you pre-plan as much as possible so you can activate and occupy needed facilities quickly when the incident occurs.

•

You likely have a number of resources available to help you do this, such as the American Red Cross, FEMA, etc.

•

Under NIMS, you now have sites such as Joint Information Center and Joint Operations Center.

Slide 12: Comprehensive Resource Management Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Use specific check-in procedures, so you will know what’s available and where it’s staged.

•

Once resources are deployed, you need to maintain current resource status. You don’t want to have people out there and not know where they are and what they’re doing.

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Slide 13: Modular Organization Points to Emphasize •

Remember, it builds from the top down, starting with the IC.

•

You do the same tasks every time. The people you use to perform those tasks will depend on the size of the incident. Many times people say that they need someone for Logistics or they need someone for Planning. The reality is…it’s not required. If you need to have those functions, you may start out filling those roles yourself and then handing off to others when you start to become overwhelmed. Example: An SUV collides with a pickup truck. There are minor injuries and the vehicles are disabled. You get on the radio and ask the first officer on-scene what’s going on. (You’re your own Intelligence Officer). The officer tells you and you ask dispatch to send tow trucks and ambulances to the scene. (You’re your own Logistics Officer). If you go to the scene and sees that it is around a bend, you may put out some flares to alert oncoming traffic. (Now you’re your own Safety Officer.) When the media shows up, you tell them, “I’ve got nothing for you.” (You’re your own Information Officer.) Now, instead of an SUV and a pickup truck, you have a tanker truck colliding with a passenger train. Are you going to do all that yourself? No. You’re going to need a large number of people to accomplish the same thing.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Slide 14: Incident Commander Points to Emphasize •

The big point to make…the IC is really nothing more than the facilitator for the event. In very small events, the IC may try to perform all the functions, but for the most part, the IC should not. A self check…the IC should feel totally under whelmed. If he or she is standing there and thinking, “Gee, I’m not very busy and look at how busy everybody else is.” Then he or she is probably doing a good job. And isn’t that the frame of mind the ultimate decision maker should be in? You don’t want that person to feel overwhelmed or overburdened. That leads to poor decision.

Slide 15: Operations Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

This is our comfort zone. Doing OPS is what you do as a law enforcement officer, as a fire fighter. If you have 10 people in the room and you don’t have a welldefined organization, you’ll have 10 people working operations. That’s why you have to assign functions.

•

A well-defined organization will not form itself. You need to approach individuals and say, “You’re going to handle logistics,” “you’re going to be my Planning Officer,” “You’re going to be my Intelligence Officer,” etc.

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Slide 16: Planning & Intelligence Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

While Operations is working in the immediate timeframe, Planning is working way out ahead. Operations looks at the next 10 minutes; Planning looks at the next 10 hours. Planning should also consider the Termination Phase: o

What are we going to do when this thing is over?

o

What’s it going to take to return to normal?

•

The lack of intelligence or a failure to share intelligence will have a direct impact on your plans and ultimately the success of the response. One person or a group of people needs to be accountable for the gathering and coordination of intelligence. This helps ensure a good flow of intelligence data.

•

Intelligence can be part of the Planning section or operate as a standalone function.

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Slide 17: Logistics Points to Emphasize •

A good person for logistics is the person who knows where to get stuff.

•

Logistics needs to be proactive. At a large incident you will likely need more portable radio batteries, more lights, more areas for personal relief, more food, etc. A good logistics section starts identifying these items without being directed and often knows what they can get on their own and what needs approval.

Slide 18: Finance Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Finance is the record-keeping division. This is crucial because your response to many incidents may be subject to full refunds from the federal government. Thus you need the proper records.

•

Finance looks at the most prudent way to do something, which may not be the most logical tactical way. For that reason, Finance should not develop tactics.

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Slide 19: Staff Positions Points to Emphasize •

Besides the basic functions, ICS offers several staff positions. As with the functions, you activate only the staff positions that you need.

Slide 20: Deputy Incident Commander Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

In a major incident, the IC is going to need relief as some point or he or she may need to meet with some official like the mayor or governor. If there isn’t somebody who can step right in and take over when the IC is absent, the entire response can screech to a halt.

•

Deputy IC can also function as a systems analyst, making sure the ICS team is functioning properly. Ops is doing ops. Logistics is doing logistics. Planning is doing planning. Finance is not doing tactics.

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Slide 21: Safety Officer Points to Emphasize •

The Safety function is one of the most difficult areas to get officers to focus on. Safety looks only at the safety of responders. He or she is not responsible for the safety of the general public. If there are kids on the school bus, that is not Safety’s job. The kids are the responsibility of the sections, mainly Operations, Planning and Intelligence. Safety’s only job is to worry about the cop on the school bus, trying to get the kids out. Can there be a conflict? Just about every time. If we send someone to get the people out, are we putting our people in harm’s way?

•

Every incident should have a Safety Officer, and it should be one of the first positions activated.

Slide 22: Incident Log/Scribe Points to Emphasize •

Remember the legal standard you will be held to after the incident: Based on the information available to you at the time of your decision, did you act as a reasonable person?

•

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Incident Log/Scribe documents what you knew and when you knew it. He or she also documents the decisions you made based on that information. Without that documentation, you may not be able to defend your actions.

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Slide 23: Information Officer Points to Emphasize •

There should be one single source of information given out to general public. No matter how many government entities, how many agencies are involved, no matter how many jurisdictions are affected, no matter how many government entities participate, there should be only one Information Officer. This helps avoid conflicting information and ensures the same message is being given out.

•

The IC should never be the Information Officer for the same reason why the IC should not be the hostage negotiator. If you are, you have nowhere to go. An IC can’t say, “I’ve got to check with my boss, and I’ll get back to you.” The IC should not appear before the media until the incident is over.

Slide 24: Liaison Office and Agency Representatives Points to Emphasize The Liaison Officer should be your best politician, the person whom everybody knows and likes. If you need something from another agency, a good Liaison increases your changes of getting it. Agency Representatives need to be empowered by their agencies to provide whatever is needed. If the IC asks reps for something and they says they have to check on that, then they’re really not Agency Reps.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

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Slide 25: Expanded ICS Organization Points to Emphasize • The slide shows the basic structure of an expanded ICS structure. NIMS is even advocating a more detail organization.

Slide 26: Using ICS for Planned Events Points to Emphasize • Why reinvent the wheel and run the risk of missed assignments? Use ICS for planned events as well as unplanned critical incidents.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

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Slide 27: Summary Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

NIMS and ICS give you a response framework that you can use for any incident.

•

Activate only the function you need to manage your response.

•

An ICS organization is flexible. It can quickly expand or contract to fit the current status of an incident.

•

ICS also provides a planning and response framework for planned events.

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AD

iscussion

P

oint

Building Your Team In the exercise for the Seven Critical Tasks chapter, we were presented with a scenario where a gunman barricaded himself in a college’s Administration Building and took the president of the college hostage. Using that same scenario, begin a discussion of how you might build a team to manage that incident. 1. Consider the ICS functions and staff positions you would activate. --Incident Command --Operations --Planning and Intelligence --Logistics --Finance --Deputy Incident Command --Safety --Information --Incident Log/Scribe --Liaison --Agency Representatives 2. For each function, discuss what that function should be thinking about and what sorts of activities it should be engaging in. 3. How would each of the staff positions support the functional response?

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

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:A

ctivity

Exercise 1: Developing an Incident Action Plan Develop an Incident Action Plan to guide a response to a scenario. The key is the timeframe. For a specified period of time (the next 30 minutes, the next hour, the next two hours, etc.), state an objective and then the tactical procedures for accomplishing that objective. Use the scenario of the gunman who takes the college president hostage. You have already used the Seven Critical Tasks to isolate the suspect and to ensure the safety of other people in the building and on campus. Now you might have objectives such as this: In the next 30 minutes, we will •

Establish contact with the suspect. (Then list how you will try to contact him, and how you will achieve that.)

•

Evacuate the other occupants of the building. (Then list procedures for doing so, such as how you will get them out and to where you will evacuate them.)

In the next hour, we will •

Begin processing evacuees. (List what information you hope to get from evacuees and how you will acquire that.)

•

Begin negotiation with the suspect. (Identify what you’re strategies will be, and how you will achieve them. You might identify contingencies that would cause you to take immediate action against the suspect.)

Another possible scenario is a bomb threat in your current building. You can develop IAPs for clearing the building and searching for the alleged bomb.

Exercise 2: Planning for and Managing a Planned Event Present a real or fictitious on-campus event and have the student plan and manage a response for it. The event could be something such as a commencement, sporting event, concert, or visit by an important dignitary. • • • • • •

What kind of team would you put together? What resources will you need? List what we need for the event. What will the operational needs be. What logistics will we need? What kind of intelligence will we need?

Take a few segments of the event and develop Incident Action Plans for them. Remember, base the plans on timeframes and include clear objectives and tactical procedures for achieving them. © 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

†

NIMS & ICS

Summary

NIMS and ICS give you a response framework that you can use for any incident. An ICS organization is flexible in that you activate only the functions you need to manage your response. That organization can then expand or contract to fit the current status of an incident. ICS also provides a planning and response framework for planned events. It helps ensure that your planning is complete and that you don’t miss making any assignments. It also puts you on a good footing should the planned event morph into a critical incident.

V

End-of-Chapter Questions

1. Can you recall the major components of the National Interagency Management System? •

Incident Command System

•

Training

•

Qualifications and Certifications

•

Publications Management

•

Supporting Technology

For specifics, see pp 88-89 2. Can you describe the management style of an ICS Incident Commander? The IC is not autocratic, but can be likened to a symphony conductor. She is responsible for coordinating a wide range of professionals and working with multiple agencies. For specifics, see pp 93-95 3. Can you describe the four primary functional ICS areas and at least three staff positions? The four functional areas are: •

Operations

•

Planning and Intelligence

•

Logistics

•

Finance

The main staff positions are: •

Deputy Incident Commander

•

Safety Officer

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

•

Log/Scribe

•

Information Officer

•

Liaison Officer

•

Agency Representatives

NIMS & ICS

For specifics, see pp 92, 104-105 4. Can you recall the benefits of using ICS to prepare for planned events? Implementing ICS for planned events allows you to develop a comprehensive plan rather than simply focusing on reactive tactics or operations. It allows you to anticipate and plan for contingencies, therefore avoiding surprises. For specifics, see pp 112-115

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Critical Incident Mgmt

Six

Hazardous Materials & Weapons of Mass Destruction

à

Overview

Hazardous materials incidents can be accidental or intentional. In either case, your response in the crisis phase will be exactly the same. Therefore, by improving your response to all critical incidents, you automatically improve your response to hazmat incidents and terrorist attacks.

@

Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to: • • • •

%

Identify unique threats presented by various hazardous materials Describe the differences between accidental and intentional releases Apply the Seven Critical Tasks to a hazmat scene List response strategies specific to hazmat threats

Key Terms and Concepts

Bills of lading, 123-124 Classes of hazardous materials, 119122 Drug labs, 126-127 Emergency Response Guidebook, 128, Appendix B—175-179 Evacuation, 135-137 Incident Command System, 131

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Levels of hazmat certification, 130 Placards, 123 Seven Critical Tasks, 132-134 Shelter-in-place, 138-139 Shipping papers, 123-124 Unified command, 131-132

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‡

Presentation Slides

Slide 1

Slide 2: Difference Between HazMat and WMDs Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

There is no difference. It doesn’t matter whether a hazardous material is intentionally released by a suspect or released because somebody in a truck turned a corner too fast. The initial response will be the identical.

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Slide 3: Law Enforcement & HazMat Incidents Points to Emphasize •

At about 90% of hazmat incidents, cops are first on the scene.

•

What is absolutely essential is that law enforcement’s response to hazmat incidents has to improve. Some say the first wave of emergency responders will be the second wave of victims. A lot of that is based on how we have traditionally responded to hazmat incidents. We simply rush right in and become the “blue canary” or the “cop-o-meter,” giving those at a distance an idea of how bad the situation is when we go down.

•

We need to take a more cautious approach. Once we learn that there is an unknown substance involved, we need to change from a “I’ve got to do something” mode to “I’ve got to back out.” We should say, “I’m going to take as many people as I can, but I can’t stay here. If I say, I won’t be helping anybody because I’m going to become a victim.”

Slide 4: Classes of Hazardous Materials Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Each class has dedicated placards, colors and numbers, but you don’t need to know the details of all those. You just need to recognize those placards, colors and numbers and then you need to know what to do. More on these later.

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Slide 5: Identifying Hazardous Materials Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Just as important as knowing how to identify a hazmat material, you need to know how NOT to identify a hazmat material. In the past we have seen cops walk up to a puddle of a substance, swipe it with a finger, sniff it, and then taste it. DO NOT DO THIS!

•

Three independent sources are used because one may not be correct. For example, many trucks have placards that flip to display the material being transported. But if the truck has a collision, it’s possible that the placard flip over to an incorrect display. So a good course of action would be to check the placard, check any shipping documents, talk with the driver or call the shipping company for confirmation about what’s in the truck.

•

We will walk through the steps for identifying hazmat materials later.

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Slide 6: Where We Find Hazardous Materials Points to Emphasize •

Want to know where to find hazardous materials? Let’s go shopping! It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and we’re off on a fun-filled adventure at the local Target or Wal-Mart. First, let’s drop off some film to be developed. (What kind of chemicals are there?). Then let’s go to the automotive department. (What kind of chemicals are there?) Now we’re going sporting goods. (What kind of chemicals are there?) Now on to house wares for cleaning supplies. (What kind of chemicals are there?) Well, we’ve got all our stuff and we’re ready to go home. Oops, we forgot the nail polish remover. We need to go to cosmetics. (What kind of chemicals are there?) The point is…many of the stores in our communities are chemical repositories.

•

And now consider how the chemicals get there. They’re being transported in trucks that are not placarded because those trucks aren’t required to be. Bottom line: we need to get to the frame of mind that we’re going to a motor vehicle accident that involves any kind of commercial transport truck, we need to start asking questions about what’s in that truck before we get on scene. You may not think it’s dangerous because it’s not a tanker truck, but the truck could be full of chemicals and those chemicals could react to each other in dangerous ways. If it’s a truck full of electronic gear, we have a different kind of security issue. But if there is an unknown, stinky substance coming out of the back or there’s gooey stuff in the road, we need to take a more measured, cautious approach.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Hazardous Materials & Weapons of Mass Destruction

Slide 7: How Do We Respond? Points to Emphasize •

Problem assessment is paramount. A chemical is similar to a weapon. Consider an incident with a gunman. He’s on the third floor and has a 30-06 with a 10x scope. Now you make some decisions regarding your kill zone. Same applies to chemicals. What kind of chemical am I dealing with? It’s acetone. I better make sure there are no ignition sources nearby. And I’ve got to think about getting people out of there.

Slide 8: Evacuation vs. Shelter-in-Place Points to Emphasize •

If there’s a health risk, you can probably shelter-in-place. If there’s a risk of explosion, you have to evacuate.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

The only people empowered by law to force an evacuation are usually governors or mayors or county executives. Some states grant fire chiefs that authority.

•

It all goes back to…did you act as a reasonable person? We refer back to unified command. This is why you want to be there with a knowledgeable fire chief so you can ask, “Can I leave people behind or are they going to be a danger? Do I have to get them out?”

•

We will discuss the DOT’s Emergency Response Guidebook in a few minutes. That publication will help you determine the risk and thereby which option to take.

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Slide 9: Evacuation Points to Emphasize •

Always evacuate from a location to a location. Never just tell people to leave because you will have to account for them.

•

Keep a log. The log should state: o Contacted/not contacted o Stayed behind/went to a shelter or other location. You need to know where they’re going so you can respond to questions that may come up, such as, “Hey, my grandmother lives over there on Main Street. Is she there or did you get her out?” You may say, “We knocked on her door, but there was no answer.” “Well, there’s got to be an answer. She’s invalid.” Oops. Now you’ve got to go back and may have to force an entry to make sure somebody is not unconscious. Again, you have to act as a reasonable person. A log will help you do that.

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

For security purposes, clearly mark the evacuated location. If you evacuated a neighborhood and people decided to stay behind, you need to know that if you patrol down the street. If you see a green marker on a house and you see activity there, you know its okay. If you’ve marked that the house has been evacuated (red marker) and later saw activity there, then you have to investigate.

•

Tell folks to bring their credit cards, IDs, licenses. Tell them to bring their prescriptions. Evacuation centers can often get doses to distribute, but it is easier if people have their own medicine.

•

And you have to account for pets. Many evacuation centers won’t allow pets, but people will want to make sure their 6-7

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animals are safe. Your Logistics and Planning sections may be able to help identify a place where people can take their pets. •

Check with your local statute and attorneys to determine what your local laws allow you to do if someone refuses to leave. If you are evacuating due to a risk of an explosion, you can’t leave someone behind who might become a source of ignition. You have to make a decision, which might include making an arrest. As always, the key is to act as a reasonable person.

Slide 10: Shelter-in-Place Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Your best option may be to shelter-inplace temporarily until you have enough resources to effect an evacuation.

•

Of course, you can’t leave people in place if there is a risk of explosion, both because they may become victims and because they might be a source of ignition. For example, you’ve got a tanker truck leaking 15,000 gallons of gasoline into the sewers. You can’t leave people in place because someone could be a source of ignition that affects everybody else.

•

When talking about sealing a structure, we’re not talking about sealing with tape and plastic. We mean can the windows and doors can be closed and outside air sources can be turned off. This is usually not a problem for newer buildings and structures.

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Slide 11: Emergency Response Guidebook Points to Emphasize •

You don’t need to know all the details about hazardous materials, but you do need to how identify them and what actions to take. The ERG will help you with that.

Slide 12: ERG—White Section Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

White pages also help you with o Recognizing placards, colors and numbers o Cheat sheet of hazmat classes o Silhouettes of common trailer and tanker types. Helps you determine if the load is under pressure, a liquid, or a solid.

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Slide 13: ERG—Yellow Section Points to Emphasize •

Lets you know what response guide to use.

•

Crucial to know about steps to take if burning or not. For example, poisonous, flammable gas calls for 1 km isolation zone if it’s burning and 11 km isolation if it’s not.

Slide 14: ERG—Blue Section Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Same as yellow, except listing are alphabetical rather than numeric.

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Slide 15: ERG—Orange Section Points to Emphasize •

The meat of the book

•

Details the proper steps to take by covering: o Potential hazards o Public safety issues o Emergency response steps

•

All response guides call for use of SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus). You probably don’t have that handy so your best defense is distance.

Slide 16: ERG—Green Section Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Isolation distances for substances not on fire.

•

Grouped by size of release.

•

Also by time of day. Releases at night often require an isolation zone that is three or four times greater.

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Slide 17: Using the ERG Points to Emphasize •

Yellow section shows 4-digit ID number, corresponding response guide number and the name.

•

Use the ID number to identify the guide number and then turn the guide in the orange section to find out the risks and steps to takes.

Slide 18: Using the ERG (cont.) Points to Emphasize •

Provides an overview of the risks you are facing and then gives you the steps to take.

Slide 19: Using the ERG (cont.) Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

If you know the name of the material, look up name in blue section to determine the guide number. Then turn the guide in the orange section to find out risks and actions to take.

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Slide 20: Using the ERG (cont.) Points to Emphasize •

Highlighted entries call for different responses based on whether the substance is on fire.

Slide 21: Using the ERG (cont.) Points to Emphasize •

If on fire, you use the response guides in the orange section.

Slide 22: Using the ERG (cont.) Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

If not burning, use the green section to identify the isolations distances. This would be a key bit of info to know if you have to evacuate an area.

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Slide 23: Using the ERG (cont.) Points to Emphasize •

Shows the placards for the classes of hazardous materials and the numbers of the corresponding response guides.

•

Use this only if you cannot identify the substance by ID number or name.

Slide 24: Using the ERG (cont.) Points to Emphasize •

When in doubt, use Guide 111.

Slide 25: Summary Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Don’t get bogged down in the details of hazardous materials. Just know how to identify a material and where to go to find out the potential risks and protective actions to take.

•

Respond to a hazardous materials incident just like you would for any other incident: use the Seven Critical Tasks.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Hazardous Materials & Weapons of Mass Destruction

:A

ctivity

Present your students with five scenarios involving hazardous materials. In each scenario, the students are to identify the material and then decide on the best course of action.

Scenario 1 You roll up to a motor vehicle accident involving a large truck that is now leaking some material onto the road. The truck has a placard on it displaying a 4-digit ID number of 1830. 1. What is the preliminary identification? Answer: Sulfuric acid 2. What steps should be taken to confirm the identification? Answer: Use accepted methods of identification:

• • • • • •

DOT placards and labels Markings, symbols and color Bills of lading or shipping papers Occupancy or destination Type of shipping container or carrier Environmental detection equipment

3. What response guide should be used? Answer: Guide 137

Scenario 2 You are confronted with a situation where acetone is leaking from a drum. 1. What response guide should be used? Answer: Guide 127

Scenario 3 You are called to a scene where a train derailed. A tanker car is now leading chlorine gas. 1. The car is on fire. What action should you take? Answer: Use Guide 124. 2. The car is not on fire. What action should you take? Answer: Use the green section to determine initial isolation and protective action distances © 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Hazardous Materials & Weapons of Mass Destruction

Scenario 4 A hazmat incident involves a large truck with a placard but you have no other information available to you. 1. For the following placards, what response guide should you use?

Answer: Guide 112 2. For the following placard, what response guide should you use?

Answer: Guide 163 3. For the following placard, what response guide should you use?

Answer: Guide 153 © 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Hazardous Materials & Weapons of Mass Destruction

Scenario 5 A truck is leaking a substance, but you have no idea what that substance is. 1. What action should you take? Answer: Use Guide 111.

†

Summary

Don’t get bogged down in the details of hazardous materials. Just know how to identify a material and where to go to find out the potential risks and protective actions to take. And above all, respond to a hazardous materials incident just like you would for any other incident: use the Seven Critical Tasks.

V

End-of-Chapter Questions

1. How would your response differ for an accidental versus an intentional release? In the crisis phase, the two will probably be exactly the same. The seven critical tasks present a workable game plan regardless of the cause of the incident. However, as the WMD event develops, you may have additional criminal activity or criminal investigation to deal with. For specifics, see pp 117-118 2. Can you name the nine hazardous materials classes? •

Class 1: Explosives

•

Class 2: Gases

•

Class 3: Flammable Liquids

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Hazardous Materials & Weapons of Mass Destruction

•

Class 4: Flammable Solids, Spontaneously Combustible Materials, and Materials Dangerous When Wet

•

Class 5: Oxidizers and Organic Peroxides

•

Class 6: Poisons and Etiologic Materials

•

Class 7: Radioactive Materials

•

Class 8: Corrosives

•

Class 9: Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials

For specifics, see pp 119-122 3. Could you apply the Seven Critical Tasks to a hazmat scene? How would you apply the tasks to a hazmat scene you’ve already been on? For specifics, see pp 132-134 4. Can you recall the criteria for evacuation vs. sheltering in place? Evacuation is an option only when you can accomplish it in a safe and orderly manner. Sheltering in place is usually preferred based on the answers to the following questions: •

Is it safer?

•

Can structures be sealed?

•

Does sheltering pose a danger to others?

For specifics, see pp 135-139 5. Can you describe how law enforcement works with other agencies on hazmat scenes? When it comes to dealing directly with the problem, operations fall to the most highly qualified responding agency. Normally that will be the fire service. The issue of command is less clear and may be dictated by local regulations. You may be required to implement a unified command. For specifics, see pp 118-119

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to

Critical Incident Mgmt

Seven

Critical Incident Stress

à

Overview

Every responder will experience critical incident stress. While the effects of stress can have a tremendous impact on officers, you can take steps before, during, and after an incident to reduce its effects.

@

Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to: • • •

%

Define critical incident stress Recognize acute and delayed stress symptoms in responders Identify stress-mitigating techniques for use before, during, and after an incident

Key Terms and Concepts

Acute stress, 143-145 After-action review, 149 Counseling, 147-149 Crying, 144-145 Debriefings, 149 Defusing, 149 Delayed stress, 145-146 Flashbacks, 145 Planning, 147

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Resentment, 145 Sources of stress, 142-143 Strategies, 147-150 Support groups, 147 Suppression, 150 Teamwork, 147 Training, 147 Types of stress, 143-146 Withdrawal, 145

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Critical Incident Stress

‡

Presentation Slides

Slide 1 Points to Emphasize •

We are not trying to make you into a critical stress expert. Our goal is to help you understand what you can do to minimize/mitigate stress and then recognize when someone needs professional help.

•

There is absolutely no shame in experiencing critical incident stress. The only shame is allowing it to go undetected and untreated.

Slide 2: Overview of Stress Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

The key point: Nobody can go through a critical incident and remain the same. Even if the response is successful, the responders will be changed forever.

•

Stress should be treated just as if it were a gunshot wound or exposure to a hazardous chemical. Ignoring the issue is not treatment.

•

People can disguise personal feelings for a time, but they will surface eventually. This leads to a third wave of victims. o

First wave—the initial casualties

o

Second wave—the emergency responders who are injured in the response

o

Third wave—the emergency responders who, six months, a year, two years later, leave the profession 7-2

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Critical Incident Stress

or do harm to themselves because their response to critical incident stress has not been addressed.

Slide 3: Sources of Stress Points to Emphasize •

One stressor particular to law enforcement: the use of deadly force. Perhaps no personal incident involving the police is more misunderstood by individuals both outside and within our profession. o

Don’t engage in locker-room backslapping, such as “great shot” or “you should have shot him again.”

o

Only those who have gone through the experience can truly appreciate the impact it can have on a life.

Slide 4: Types of Stress Points to Emphasize •

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

There really is no finite timeline here. o

Acute stress usually surfaces within a day or two of the incident.

o

Delayed is anything that is not within the immediate timeframe.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Critical Incident Stress

Slide 5: Acute Stress Points to Emphasize •

Watch for signs at debriefings.

•

Be frank and open. Demystify stress and make sure it is not viewed as weakness.

•

Make sure officers know they’re not alone.

•

Maintain the team environment. Too often we form into teams at incidents and then go back to our solitary duties afterward. Train as a team, debrief as a team. The incident is not over once the immediate threat has been addressed. Don’t release the team too early.

Slide 6: Delayed Stress Points to Emphasize •

These symptoms most frequently affect job performance. What could be viewed as a disciplinary problem might actually be the results of stress.

•

Remember the third wave of victims.

•

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

o

First wave—the initial casualties

o

Second wave—the emergency responders who are injured in the response

o

Third wave—the emergency responders who, six months, a year, two years later leave the profession or do harm to themselves because their response to critical incident stress has not been addressed.

Some symptoms are cumulative, such as cynicism about the job, headaches, 7-4

Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Critical Incident Stress

tiredness. Anybody who’s been a cop, firefighter, or EMT for a period of time probably has some of these symptoms.

Slide 7: Strategies to Minimize/Mitigate Stress Points to Emphasize •

You can take action.

Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Pre-event planning and training give officers confidence and help them anticipate what they will face. If officers know what they will face, they can better prepare for it. (One note about planning: if you have a plan but don’t train to it, you don’t have a plan.)

•

Cops tend to work alone, so you want to build a team atmosphere. Train together and spend time together, both before and after the event. It is crucial that nobody feels alone.

•

Demystify stress. Let officer know what they might experience, so they might recognize when they need help.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Critical Incident Stress

Points to Emphasize •

If the person in command of a response really knows what he or she is doing, the amount of stress will likely be less.

•

Try to identify a problem as early as possible and get that problem out in the open so it doesn’t fester and become a larger problem.

•

Use diffusers, people who are on-scene and available to listen. Diffusers help take the edge off of acute stress by giving responders an immediate outlet to discuss what they’re feeling. Questions a diffuser might ask:

•

o

What did you see in there?

o

What happened?

o

How do you feel about it?

Watch female officers who might feel a more pressing need to suppress emotions for fear of being perceived as weak.

Points to Emphasize

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

•

Make is a policy to conduct after-action reviews with everyone involved in a response. That should include support people as well, not just the ones who were on scene.

•

Mandate professional counseling.

•

The worst thing you can do is create an atmosphere of suppression. Nobody should suppress emotions. They will build and cause great damage down the road.

•

Flashbacks. Discuss them so people won’t think they’re going insane if they have them. And encourage them to let you 7-6

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Critical Incident Stress

know if they are having them. If not encouraged, most officers won’t tell you they’re having flashbacks for fear of being taken off the street. •

Have officers talk to other officers who have been there. They don’t need to discuss this particular incident. They just need to hear what others have faced. Hearing what others have gone through might help them cope with their own issues. The main point is officers might realize the things they are experiencing are normal. (Note about peer counseling—it is not privileged communication. Unless the peer is classified as part of privileged profession (clergy, doctor, attorney), the conversation is discoverable in a court proceeding.)

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Critical Incident Stress

Slide 8: Summary Points to Emphasize

†

•

Stress is a common result of all critical incidents. All responders will experience it in some form.

•

Don’t ignore stress. Take action before, during, and after an incident to minimize and mitigate the affects a response will have on responders.

•

How you deal with stress will impact the number and severity of “third wave” victims.

Summary

Stress is a common result of all critical incidents. All responders will experience it in some form. Don’t ignore stress. Take action before, during, and after an incident to minimize and mitigate the affects a response will have on responders. How you deal with stress will impact the number and severity of “third wave” victims.

V

End-of-Chapter Questions

1. Can you recall the types of events that can trigger critical incident stress? The list is virtually endless, but a few examples include: •

The death of someone you tried to save

•

A personal threat such as an attack by gunfire

•

A fire or explosion that results in death or serious injuries

•

Investigating a fatal vehicle accident

•

Handling a child abuse incident that results in death or serious injury to the child

For specifics, see pp 142 © 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Critical Incident Stress

2. Could you recognize symptoms of acute stress in your responders? Acute Critical Stress Symptoms Physical • • • • • • •

Nausea Sweating or tremors Disorientation Increased heart rate Hyperventilation Crying Difficulty sleeping

Mental (Cognitive) • Impaired thinking process • Inability to concentrate • Confusion • Poor attention span • Forgetfulness • Flashbacks of incident

Emotional • Fear of event repetition • Depression and grief • Withdrawal from friends and family • Resentment of others that appear to be handling the incident effectively

For specifics, see pp 143-145

3. Could you recognize symptoms of delayed stress in your responders? Delayed Critical Stress Symptoms Physical • • • •

•

•

Frequent and severe headaches Sleep disorders Sexual dysfunction Substance abuse (drugs and/or alcohol) Loss of energy Increase use of sick time

Mental (Cognitive) • • •

Intrusive mental images of the event Poor concentration Nightmares or flashbacks of event

Emotional • • • • •

Marital or family problems Fear of event repetition Constant depression Apathy and cynicism toward work Defensiveness about problems

For specifics, see pp 145-146

4. Can you recall your options for lessening the impact of stress on your responders? Before an incident, you can: •

Provide pre-event planning and training

•

Create a team environment

•

Train responder to recognize stress symptoms

During an incident, you can: •

Provide effective management and control of the scene

•

Make sure personnel take regular breaks

•

Ensure all personnel have adequate and nutritious food and beverages

•

Rotate and relieve workers regularly; make sure they move away from the scene and rest

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Instructor’s Guide to Critical Incident Mgmt

Critical Incident Stress

After an incident, you can: •

Conduct formal Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

•

Make counselling available

•

Watch your responders for behavior changes

•

Create an environment that deals openly with stress

For specifics, see pp 147-150

© 2005 Mountain Edge Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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