Abstract
This chapter documents ways to respond to and recover from a mass shooting situation. Response is two-fold in nature: dealing with a scenario when it unfolds and reuniting the affected population with their families once the crisis has been resolved. The chapter then moves on to look at ways to recover from a mass shooting to repair the long-term damage caused. Recovery centers on dealing with the psychological impact on the affected community, physical damage caused, and the reputational damage on the organization. Another part of recovery is learning lessons from previous mass shootings. Captured throughout this chapter are the recommendations from emergency management experts, citing their knowledge and experience in dealing with active shooter incidents and other types of crises.
TopIntroduction
The previous chapter outlined the preparedness principle of emergency management, looking at the ways in which to effectively prepare for a mass shooting incident before it occurs. Moving on from this, discussion in this chapter centers on response and recovery. Alongside prevention and preparation, these principles are part of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) designed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (Lindsay, 2012; Salzman & Fuentes, 2020). Response and recovery relate to preparedness, since they are thought to improve operations following crises (McEntire, 2020).
Response refers to the ways in which an incident can be dealt with in a timely and effective manner. Response agencies such as law enforcement, fire and medical services should be actively involved in this stage. As per the discussion in the previous chapter, these response agencies should be included in planning and practice the roles assigned to them (Brock, Jimerson, Hart & Nickerson, 2012, p. 464). Facilitating an interoperable approach across different types of response agencies is the “Incident Command System” (ICS), organizing procedures, communications, personnel and facilities (Salzman & Fuentes, 2020; Schulz, 2019).
The recovery principle references those activities that take place to allow the affected community to recover from an active shooter event. This includes repairing physical damage and restoring services, as well as managing psychological damage and stress to those affected by it (Doss & Shepherd, 2015; Goodrum & Woodward, 2019 Lindsay, 2012). Activities related to recovery typically begin once the response part of an incident is considered “over” (Cavaliere, 2019).
Similar to the previous chapter, results from interviews with emergency management experts are cited. Interviews focused on ways to respond effectively when a crisis occurs, as well as what should be prioritized in the recovery process. The following representatives were consulted for their expertise:
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The co-founders of the non-profit Foundation I Love U Guys (ILUG), John-Michael Keyes (Executive Director) and Ellen Stoddard-Keyes (Operations Director). This organization focuses on school safety and provides training in emergency management procedures to schools and some businesses.
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One of the founding partners of Nicoletti-Flater Associates, John Nicoletti. This organization specializes in emergency management planning and training and works alongside the I Love U Guys Foundation to provide training for active shooter scenarios.
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Stephen Brock and Melissa Reeves, the lead authors of the PREPaRE crisis prevention and intervention model used to respond to school violence.
The chapter firstly discusses ways to respond to mass shootings. Outlined are the roles of response agencies such as law enforcement, fire and medical. Next, the importance of reunification of the affected population with their families after an incident is discussed, looking at the method used by the ILUG Foundation. The chapter then moves on to discuss how to recover following mass shootings. Possible ways to repair psychological and reputational damage caused to the affected population and the organization itself are outlined. Lastly, the value in learning lessons from previous mass shooting incidents is detailed.
Key Terms in this Chapter
National Incident Management System: A model of emergency preparedness and response to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from crises.
Secure Task Force: A response model whereby law enforcement provides security for law enforcement and fire responders to allow them to travel through the site of the incident.
Incident Command System: An organizational structure to provide a common set of procedures for equipment, communication, personnel, and systems across different response agencies.
Reunification: Reuniting the affected population with their families following an incident.
Secure Corridor: The provision of security by law enforcement at key points throughout a site to allow medical and fire responders to transport and treat casualities.
Post-Crisis Public Relations: Messaging to the public following an incident intended to reduce damage to an organization’s reputation.
Response: Actions to manage a crisis and minimize damage when it does transpire.
Emergency Communication: How an organization communicates with the affected population during an incident.
Recovery: Actions to repair the long-term damage caused by a crisis occurs.
Protected Island: The creation of a secure location within the site of an attack to allow for casualties to be collected by fire and medical responders.