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Local officials assess critical incidents
Seminar address responses to make crucial decisions

By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
Critical incidents, like mass casualties, chemical spills, terrorist attacks or airline crashes, can quickly overwhelm public safety officials.

To learn what steps to take for keeping a bad situation from getting far worse, area law enforcement and fire department supervisors attended a three-day Critical Incident Management Initial Response training seminar at the Courthouse Annex Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 3-5. This was one of the first times the Wisconsin Emergency Management-instructed course has been offered somewhere other than Fort McCoy, said county Emergency Management Director Sandra Curtis.

Initial decisions made by the first supervisor, whether a sergeant, lieutenant or shift commander, at the scene can set the stage for a quicker and easier resolution to the critical incident by follow-on responders.

"The goal is not to bring this to solution. It is to contain it so it doesn't grow," said Capt. Dave Piechette of the State Patrol, one of the three instructors conducting the training.

The riots that spread through Los Angeles and popped up in other cities across the country following the Rodney King verdict are the prime example of what can happen if an incident isn't contained, Piechette said.

Hours after the initial riot began, law enforcement hadn't established a proper perimeter. A truck driver, someone who was just passing through the scene, was then pulled from his truck and severely beaten.

There is no time when public safety personnel are more severely tested or when their actions come under closer scrutiny than immediately after their community has experienced a critical incident, instructors said. The decisions that are made, or not made, during the first 30 to 60 minutes of a critical incident are crucial to its outcome.

The initial responding managers, who are typically first- and second-line supervisors, will determine whether the incident is allowed to "accelerate" out of control or is quickly stabilized. Because of the potentially serious consequences that can arise from such an event, every supervisor must be properly prepared to manage the scene.

Using the crisis-management techniques they learned in the classroom, attendees "stepped into the box" for three scenarios using a 96-square-foot model city simulator. Monday's scenario involved a shooter holed up in a financial services building, while Tuesday's scenario looked at what to do immediately following the crash of a passenger jetliner.

The city simulator, complete with model buildings and toy cars, may look like a child's ideal Christmas present, but for the five class attendees "in the box" at a time playing the role of the first supervisors arriving at the scene, it wasn't a game - it was a high-stress learning experience. Participants who chew gum have been known to unconsciously and repeatedly smack their gum, instructors said.

In the words of Sgt. Paul Stroik of the Portage County Sheriff's Department, who took part in Monday's scenario, participants experienced "time compression." Minutes seemed like seconds as the students made their decisions and spoke the proper radio commands to execute their chosen course of action.

The first supervisor on scene has to accomplish seven critical tasks:

· Establish communication and control.

· Identify the "kill/hot zone."

· Establish an inner perimeter.

· Establish an outer perimeter.

· Establish a command post.

· Establish a staging area.

· Identify and request additional resources.

Factors considered for Monday's gunman scenario included what roads needed to be blocked off first using the number of officers available, how to keep parents from rushing to a nearby school to check on their children and how to evacuate surrounding businesses without giving the gunman targets to shoot at.

"The first responding officer needs to keep other people and themselves safe," Piechette said.

Some of the issues that came up in Monday's scenario were for supervisors to have maps readily available and to know what their resources are so they can best distribute them. A plainclothes police officer at the scene may be mistaken for a gunman, but he can help by blocking traffic on the outer perimeter, instructors said.

Once the gunman situation was brought under control, it was turned over to a special response team and the scenario ended.

Monday's gunman scenario mainly involved law enforcement. The plane-crash scenario on Tuesday had added complexity, because it involved fire, rescue and law enforcement.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks may have brought the spotlight on local governments' abilities to handle critical incidents, but local officials have been training to handle a variety of critical incident scenarios for years.

"We prepare all the time," Curtis said.



	Local officials assess critical incidents Seminar address responses to make crucial decisions By BRIAN LEAHY of The Gazette Critical incidents, like mass casualties, chemical spills, terrorist attacks or airline crashes, can quickly overwhelm public safety officials. To learn what steps to take for keeping a bad situation from getting far worse, area law enforcement and fire department supervisors attended a three-day Critical Incident Management Initial Response training seminar at the Courthouse Annex Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 3-5. This was one of the first times the Wisconsin Emergency Management-instructed course has been offered somewhere other than Fort McCoy, said county Emergency Management Director Sandra Curtis. Initial decisions made by the first supervisor, whether a sergeant, lieutenant or shift commander, at the scene can set the stage for a quicker and easier resolution to the critical incident by follow-on responders. "The goal is not to bring this to solution. It is to contain it so it doesn't grow," said Capt. Dave Piechette of the State Patrol, one of the three instructors conducting the training. The riots that spread through Los Angeles and popped up in other cities across the country following the Rodney King verdict are the prime example of what can happen if an incident isn't contained, Piechette said. Hours after the initial riot began, law enforcement hadn't established a proper perimeter. A truck driver, someone who was just passing through the scene, was then pulled from his truck and severely beaten. There is no time when public safety personnel are more severely tested or when their actions come under closer scrutiny than immediately after their community has experienced a critical incident, instructors said. The decisions that are made, or not made, during the first 30 to 60 minutes of a critical incident are crucial to its outcome. The initial responding managers, who are typically first- and second-line supervisors, will determine whether the incident is allowed to "accelerate" out of control or is quickly stabilized. Because of the potentially serious consequences that can arise from such an event, every supervisor must be properly prepared to manage the scene. Using the crisis-management techniques they learned in the classroom, attendees "stepped into the box" for three scenarios using a 96-square-foot model city simulator. Monday's scenario involved a shooter holed up in a financial services building, while Tuesday's scenario looked at what to do immediately following the crash of a passenger jetliner. The city simulator, complete with model buildings and toy cars, may look like a child's ideal Christmas present, but for the five class attendees "in the box" at a time playing the role of the first supervisors arriving at the scene, it wasn't a game - it was a high-stress learning experience. Participants who chew gum have been known to unconsciously and repeatedly smack their gum, instructors said. In the words of Sgt. Paul Stroik of the Portage County Sheriff's Department, who took part in Monday's scenario, participants experienced "time compression." Minutes seemed like seconds as the students made their decisions and spoke the proper radio commands to execute their chosen course of action. The first supervisor on scene has to accomplish seven critical tasks: · Establish communication and control. · Identify the "kill/hot zone." · Establish an inner perimeter. · Establish an outer perimeter. · Establish a command post. · Establish a staging area. · Identify and request additional resources. Factors considered for Monday's gunman scenario included what roads needed to be blocked off first using the number of officers available, how to keep parents from rushing to a nearby school to check on their children and how to evacuate surrounding businesses without giving the gunman targets to shoot at. "The first responding officer needs to keep other people and themselves safe," Piechette said. Some of the issues that came up in Monday's scenario were for supervisors to have maps readily available and to know what their resources are so they can best distribute them. A plainclothes police officer at the scene may be mistaken for a gunman, but he can help by blocking traffic on the outer perimeter, instructors said. Once the gunman situation was brought under control, it was turned over to a special response team and the scenario ended. Monday's gunman scenario mainly involved law enforcement. The plane-crash scenario on Tuesday had added complexity, because it involved fire, rescue and law enforcement. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks may have brought the spotlight on local governments' abilities to handle critical incidents, but local officials have been training to handle a variety of critical incident scenarios for years. "We prepare all the time," Curtis said.