NCJ Number
242623
Date Published
March 2012
Length
113 pages
Annotation
This study tests the hypothesis that "Law enforcement escorts for fire fighters in potentially hostile areas - also known as force protection - is the optimal fire department policy for safe and rapid access to victims in need of rescue or hazards in need of mitigation at paramilitary-style active shooter incidents in multi-hazard environments."
Abstract
The study supports this hypothesis in concluding that the "force protection" model is the optimal fire service response policy in order to save lives and mitigate hazards during paramilitary style attacks in a multi-hazard environment. Under this model, law enforcement officers accompany and protect fire fighters in the warm zone. This model is an adaptation of the successful "escort" model used by law enforcement and fire fighters during civil unrest incidents. This model is compared with three other response models, using eight criteria. The other models considered are "standby," in which fire fighters wait in a safe zone until the scene is secure; a model in which paramedic fire fighters limit their service to medical support for SWAT teams in the "warm" zone; and a model in which individuals with police/fire/emergency medical service capability work as a team in the "hot" zone. Each of the four models is evaluated and compared with the others on the following eight criteria: safety; consistency with the fire service risk management model; public confidence in fire and police response; adaptive to a multi-hazard environment; expeditious; collaborative; cost; and acceptability (political and cultural). The study also examines nine case studies of actual cases with features that can inform the effectiveness of the models compared. Recommendations offered comply with the study's support for the "force protection" model. 2 tables and 62 references