NOTE: This INFOGRAM will be distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures.  For further information, contact the Emergency Management and Response- Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) at (301) 447-1325 or by e-mail at emr-isac@dhs.gov. 

Avoiding Ambush--Continued

On 21 July, a firefighter from the St. Louis suburb of Maplewood was shot and killed while responding to the scene of a burning car.  Two police officers were also wounded in the attack.  In June, a Chicago fire investigator was shot in the performance of duties.  And in May, an emergency medical technician was shot when treating a gunshot victim in East St. Louis. 

Research by the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) corroborates that shootings of Emergency Services Sector (ESS) personnel are not unusual, particularly those directed against police officers.  However, the EMR-ISAC sadly speculates that active shooter situations involving responders of the fire and emergency medical services (EMS) will continue to increase in frequency within the United States. Indeed, the potential presence of an active shooter has become another threat to emergency responders for which ESS departments and agencies must prepare. 

According to Chief Dan Jones, Chapel Hill (NC) Fire Department, “Firefighters and EMS personnel frequently find themselves in contact with mentally/emotionally disturbed individuals, angry individuals, gang members, criminals and other people who are high risk for violent behavior.”  The EMR-ISAC suggests that this reality necessitates preparedness and protective measures to mitigate ESS vulnerabilities to the threat of hostility and ambush by active shooters.    

In their attempt to be proactive, some organizations now conduct active shooter awareness programs and periodic training drills.  Other departments instruct their first responders to assess each situation, call police if they perceive danger, and “get back into the truck and leave,” when gunshots are heard.  Still others have applied for a Fire Act Grant this year under the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) category for bulletproof vests.

For more information about recent shootings and mitigation actions, see the following links:

http://www.firerescue1.com/newsreports/420780 and http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/articles/421164.