Aurora’s Dark (K)night
Two years after the mass shooting tragedy
Two years ago today, during the premier of The Dark Knight Rises, theater 9 of the Century 16 Theaters in Aurora Colorado erupted in gunfire. James Holmes deployed tear gas and opened fire committing one of the worst mass shootings on record. Twelve innocent people were killed and 70 more injured in the senseless melee.
The emergency response to the tragedy demonstrated “git-r-done” resolve on behalf of all public safety responders. Multiple agencies converged to solve this chaotic problem. The incident is yet another reminder of the perils that face society and the vigilance that is required to keep us all safe. The responders that night were trained professionals confronted with an extraordinary circumstance. These events are hotbeds for second guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking. However, the scrutiny helps to understand the problem and helps to devise solutions.
Positive things have come from this tragedy in the public safety realm. The Aurora shootings have caused Law Enforcement, Fire, and Emergency Medical response agencies across the country to change the way they respond to active shooter events. Law Enforcement had a pivotal event not far from Aurora 15 years earlier at Columbine. Columbine taught law enforcement agencies that taking the time to muster a specialized force of overwhelming size contributes to further mayhem. At Aurora, emergency medical responders learned that staging critical advanced life support resources and waiting for the scene to be rendered safe contributes to increased mortality in trauma victims. The events in Aurora also emphasized the importance of a unified command structure that coordinates all aspects of the incident.
In our fire department and others across the nation, the events in Aurora reinforced the urgency to work in concert with our law enforcement partners for a more effective response. A hostile mass casualty incident plan was born out of the tragedy. A considerable effort for plan development and coordinated response training has finally evolved into a combined response plan. The important concepts that were institutionalized are 1) Unified Command, 2) Force Protection, 3) simplified triage, and 4) train to build trust. These tools have gone a long way in helping us to be prepared to deliver the services necessary when a dark knight comes to our town.
Take a moment today to remember those that were tragically killed in the horrific events two years ago today. In their memory, reinforce your relationships with your public safety partners and work to build capabilities to address the safe community that our citizens deserve.
