Active Assailant Protocol Overview

Active Assailant/Shooter Protocol

• Dispatch procedure for law enforcement, fire, and EMS responses to active shooter incidents.

• Telecommunications gather detailed information from callers.

• Location: Specific building name, address, and location details (e.g., office, classroom, floor, room number).

• Incident Details: Description of the ongoing events, involved individuals, and assailant characteristics.

• Assailant Information: Presence at the scene, movement (leaving, going somewhere else), additional assailants, race, gender, clothing description and specific details like body armor.

• Physical Description: Height, weight, facial hair, glasses, scars, gas mask, if applicable.

• Weapons and Hazards: Types of weapons, who possesses them, and potential hazards (fire, explosives).

• Injuries: Number of victims, injury types, and immediate medical action such as control bleeding, open airway and pre-arrival instruction.

• Pre-Arrival Instructions to Callers:

  • Secure immediate area (room, office, bathroom) and lock doors.
  • Barricade doorways if possible using available furniture.
  • If the shooter leaves the room, lock/barricade the door, and consider seeking refuge with others.
  • Instructions to reduce harm include: close blinds, turn off electronics, silence cell phones, and use available protection.
  • Mark injured areas on the exterior.
  • Stay calm and quiet. -Move to a secure location, staying in secure locations if the shooter is coming through hallway, unless VERY close to an exit.
  • Do NOT enter hallways/or run through hallways unless very close to an exit.
  • Do NOT hide in restrooms.
  • Seek refuge, move to rooms that are not already secured, move to and out of large room exteriors while taking caution with the shooter present.

• Callers experiencing hysteria/trauma: Use telephone techniques to manage their distress.

  • Listen attentively to understand and reassure the caller.
  • Determine if the caller has been injured.
  • Notify the police are en route.
  • Avoid rapid questioning, remain composed, and reiterate/verify information from the caller.
  • Avoid rapid questioning and maintain control.

• Communication Responsibilities:

  • Immediate notification to supervisor/administration.
  • One dispatcher coordinates radio/officer communications, maintaining radio clarity and encryption.
  • A secondary dispatcher answers other calls.
  • Director of Emergency Communications receives immediate notification for response to the center.
  • Provide detailed directions to the scene for responding agencies; inform of officer engagement with the shooter.
  • EMS and Incident Command are informed and directed to staging areas.
  • If applicable, notify Fire Department to standby at their station.
  • Coordination occurs through Incident Command.

• Protecting Law Enforcement Officers:

  • Gather intelligence on the shooter's exact location/movement.
  • Immediate notification to Law Enforcement, Supervisors, and Administration.
  • Maintain clear radio traffic and encryption.
  • Keep responders updated.
  • Provide additional descriptions from extra callers, including sounds of gunshots.
  • Gather information on areas of egress/entrance.
  • Investigate details such as stairwells, elevators and building floor plans using GIS and CAD.
  • Establish Incident Command by Police/Fire/EMS if applicable. Otherwise dispatch verifies who is in command for record keeping.

• Effective Two-Way Communications:

  • Use designated radio frequencies and common terminology.

• Counseling: Emergency communications personnel attend debriefing sessions with qualified counselors post-incident.

• Media and Inquiries: Standard media and family/civilian information protocols exist.