Strategy and Tactics for the First Due to an Active Shooter/Hostile Event

Strategy and Tactics for the First Due to an Active Shooter/Hostile Event

Christine Tonetta

In this day and age, there should be no question that all first responders need to be prepared for an active shooter/hostile event (ASHE). From the earliest active shooter to those most recent attacks, the timeline shows us that these events are happening more frequently and anywhere – from small town, USA to the largest cities of the world. Unfortunately, many volunteer and combination departments do not have the money or time to take a three-day course on an ASHE incident management or integrated response. So, this course was designed with respect to the time of those who want to learn more about active shooter/hostile event response. This lecture-based presentation gives attendees the necessary information to make an educated decision when faced with an active shooter event in their district. They will learn their role in the incident command system, how to integrate with law enforcement and EMS, and the basics of creating a level II staging area. There is little fluff in this class because there is so much information that is always being updated from after action reports, FBI studies, NFPA 3000, and Active Shooter Incident Management training to fill the time. As history has shown us, it does not matter the size of the department, location, or whether you are paid or volunteer, active shooter events do not discriminate, and we need to understand what needs to be done when it happens to us.