Rescue Task Force

A multi-faceted course taught by seasoned law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel on methodologies to providing interdictions and mitigation of criminal suspect(s) engaged in “Active Shooter” events while providing aid to injured victims. Using practical, field-tested methodologies, veteran instructors will guide students through classroom and scenario-based lessons that will inculcate seamless, near-immediate, EMS provision to those victims suffering from a traumatic injury stemming from the event. The course is designed to be attended by both LEO and Fire Service/EMS personnel that would be the first co-responders to an active shooter (or similar progressive criminal incident) with the expected ancillary multi-casualty event that has become commonplace. Better case resolution requires the complimentary real-time efforts of suspect interdiction by law enforcement personnel, combined with proactive EMS provision to traumatically wounded victims.

Jurisdictions throughout the nation are moving progressively toward the complimentary provision of law and fire services in parallel during an active shooter event. Past practice had been a binary, stepwise provision of service with EMS provision occurring after the active shooter event had been mitigated by law enforcement personnel. This prior methodology would impact the triage, transport, and treatment of victims of traumatic injury for too long a period of time. Needless delay in EMS provision will impact victims of traumatic injury in a negative fashion. The Regional Training Center’s cadre of instructors will show through training and experience that proper planning, training, equipment, and communication between jurisdictions will provide for more immediate provision of EMS service to traumatically injured victims within acceptable safety margins.

Our cadre of veteran instructors, from both Law and Fire services, will guide the class of combined Law and Fire students through the dynamics of active shooter incidents and the particularities of each service’s field of focus. Using some classroom instruction and mostly scenario-based activities, instructors will guide students on how they can undertake a safe, rapid, and holistic resolution. The instructors, each using their varied backgrounds and extensive training, will move the class through basic ideas and concepts of each jurisdictional area of concern; Fire and Law. Basic building blocks will pave the way for a synthesis of provision of service by both jurisdictions. Law Enforcement personnel will focus on interdiction of the subject(s) responsible while secondarily providing safety for EMS personnel working in the area of mass criminal homicide. EMS/Fire personnel will focus on triage, evacuation, treatment, and transport of trauma patients and the corresponding methodologies needed (MCI event protocols) in the warm zone, making allowances for law enforcement personnel assigned as overwatch. The Regional Training Center will also address both formal and ad-hoc communications between responders. RTC knows that proper communications at all levels, across all functions, is a dynamic that will impact service provision. As such, both formal and ad hoc communications between and among responders will be demonstrated and critiqued during the course.

During the course, there will be break-out sessions divided by jurisdictional responsibilities; Fire/EMS and Law. During these breakout sessions, instructors will focus on that group’s particular knowledge domains, concepts and tasks to be accomplished during a combined Law and Fire/EMS, Rescue Task Force. Classroom and scenario-based instruction will be utilized throughout the course. Ultimately, students will culminate the course with a real-time scenario involving the creation and deployment of a Rescue Task Force.