Three Step plan for improving emergency response
Rush hour traffic, AC is on, and you are singing out loud to your favorite new Taylor Swift song (it is ok, nobody is judging you) and the lights catch your eye in the rear view. Then another, then another. You struggle to pull to the right just as a motorcade of fire engines, trucks, police cars and ambulances speed past you. Each of those professionals are no doubt proficient at their job. But, have you ever stopped to think about what happens when they all get to that emergency? Who is in charge? How is the chaos managed?
The complexities inherent in managing a true emergency are enormous. Today’s police officer, firefighter, or paramedic is tasked not only with doing their respective tasks, they must also make strategic life or death decisions in the midst of true chaos. What is more, they must make those decisions in the midst of constant organizational flux. This article takes a look at today’s emergency response apparatus, it’s challenges, and new ways to approach them in a three step plan for fundamentally improving how one manages the emergency of tomorrow.
What does the future look like?
Have you noticed? A gap is developing in just about every workforce today. Those baby boomers have put in their time, they see the light growing large at the end of the tunnel and they are retiring in droves. The attrition is massive. Who is filling their vacancy? The dreaded millennial! Here is a stat for you:
“Millennials now represent the largest generation in the United States, comprising roughly one-third of the total population in 2013. What’s more, the largest Millennial one-year age cohort is now only 23.”
Conclusion, that 23 year old kid is working right along side you — whether you like it or not — and will be there for the next 30 years!
What is your stereotypical view of the millennial?
How about the group in class on a Saturday morning? The volunteer? The dedicated student?
Have you thought about the life experience that the everyday Millennial possesses? Consider this: the kid you work with today who was born in 1982 was perhaps a Sophomore in high school in 1999 when two gunman walked into Columbine High School and killed their classmates and friends. His first day in college was September 11, 2001. He may have joined the military, became an Army Ranger and deployed three times to Afghanistan. Maybe she was enrolled at Virginia Tech in 2007. She may have been stationed at Fort Hood in 2009. He may have a child who was in kindergarten at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Point is, that “kid” has a visceral appreciation for the new normal in American society. That is a profound asset. What’s more, they have grown up in an environment where they get a new phone every year, computer every other, and Facebook user interface change every 2 weeks. Consequently, they are much less resistant to change that their baby boomer colleagues may be…
Those kids are motivated and eager to take on new challenges. And, like it or not, they are promoting. The question is, how will they learn to manage the complexities of tomorrow?
What challenges do first responders face? (A 3 step look)
Those millennials, whether a police officer, firefighter, or EMT, every first responder must contend with the same three challenges in order to do their job every day.
They include three points of focus, three types of problems, and three types of emergencies.
Points of focus
When engaging at the scene of an emergency, a police officer or firefighter must choose one of three types of focus: Task, Tactical or Strategic.
A Task saturated police officer is just that: saturated in the specific tasks they are engaged in at a particular moment. They have no clue what is going on even 5 feet away from them.
A responder who chooses to perform at the tactical level will be about five to 10 feet removed from that task saturated officer. They will be observing the dangers not seen and ensuring that the overall tactical needs related to that task are being addressed.
Finally, there are responders who keep an even greater distance from the tactical operations and oversee the global strategy needed to manage the life safety and incident stabilization priorities of that incident.
Types of problems
Not all emergencies are alike. One persons overflowing toilet “emergency” may contrast massively from another’s rollover crash “Emergency” Thus, the types of problems emergency responders are called to, often vary to the same degree. In general, those problems present themselves as simple, complicated, or complex.
Simple problems are like a recipe. Specific instructions have been written down and, if followed, are guaranteed to solve the problem or result in some tasty cookies.
Complicated problems are those that were really tough to figure out when they first happened. But, now that the procedures are in placed to solve the problem, the fix can be repeated with relative ease. Think about getting to the moon and back in the 60’s. That was an incredibly complicated problem at the outset. Yet, now that the process is in place, with the right amount of money, we could land on the moon without much trouble in a short period of time.
Complex problems are those problems that present in a completely different fashion than the one before it. If you have a child, you may understand. You think you have this potty training thing down. You have a perfect system worked out and haven’t had a booboo in 3 months! Then you go and try the same technique on the little sister and it literally, and figuratively backfires in the most nauseating of ways. You may have the same end goal — potty in that pot right there — but the tasks, tactics and strategy to get there are light years apart. Transfer that situation to an active shooter with different motives and strategy than the shooter who preceded him: now you have an end goal — stop the violence and save lives — but a completely different approach that must be taken to get there. That, is a complex problem.
Types of Emergencies
Taking into account the different problems one may face on a given day, there is also a specific delineation of the type of emergencies as well: , the police centric emergency, the fire centric emergency, and the complex, police and fire emergency.
Law enforcement emergency:
This is an emergency where law enforcement is in charge. Everyday police emergencies include incidents like a hostage negotiation, bank robbery, SWAT activation, drug investigation, or homicide. These — and other incidents like them — are the explicit legal purview of the police department. Any other agencies, such as fire or ambulance, are merely assisting in the investigation or actions.
Fire/EMS emergency:
This is an emergency where the fire or EMS agency is primarily in charge: medical problem, fire alarm, structure fire, etc. This is their bread and butter event. They have trained for this their entire career. They know what to do, how to manage it, and what players need to be involved. At most, police will be on scene to provide ancillary support to the other.
The complex emergency:
These are those 911 calls that require both EMS/Fire and Law Enforcement to immediately engage in their required task. Here is where it gets complex: each agency must engage, immediately, in the exact same geographic space. In other words, police need to do police stuff, rescue needs to do rescue stuff, in the exact same location. Complex emergencies happen every day: whether it is an overdose in a bar or an active shooter in a mall, both entities still have to be in there doing what they do.
The trouble with a complex emergency is the fact that they can be a little out of the responder’s comfort zone. Each are used to being in charge of the situation. Each control who has access to the scene. Each directs the pace of the incident. Bring that other guy into the mix who doesn’t really care about what the other has to accomplish and conflict could result.
It is the complex emergency that is the challenge for the next generation of emergency responders. Consequently, it is that human dynamic, that trust, that relationship that must be built at a moments notice, that needs to be improved.
An answer to the problem
The challenge of two unacquainted professionals not working well in a complex environment is not isolated solely to the emergency response field. In fact, the aviation industry has perfected the art of performance under complexity.
What forced the hand of change for Aviation?:
In 1978, United Airlines flight 173, just outside of Portland, Oregon ran out of fuel. Obviously, there were safeguards in place to keep this from happening. Unfortunately, the captain was so engrossed in trying to fix another problem, he refused to heed the warnings of his crew who repeatedly stated that they were out of fuel. The DC-8 crashed, killing 10 people and subsequently changed an entire industry. United Airlines embarked on a massive effort to improve the relational dynamic in the cockpit.
Today, United and all other aviation professionals subscribe to the principle of Crew Resource Management (CRM). CRM focuses on three core factors: the introduction, teamwork, and the pre-flight briefing. The result, commercial jet airlines have a near 100% safety rating. The problems that faced aviation have an uncanny similarity to that of emergency responders.
The Plan:
A formal, CRM based, curricula has never before been delivered to police, fire, and EMS teams in a regional metro area. The unique — active shooter — experience that the Denver metro region has had over the past 20 years makes each agency uniquely qualified to lead the nation in a new approach.
That new approach takes advantage, not just of the true life experience of the region, but the massive resources housed in the Denver area. Particularly, Metropolitan State University’s Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science is the premier aviation education institution in Denver. Further, United Airlines has a massive training center in Denver where they facilitate CRM based training for all new hires. Combined, these two entities offer an opportunity for collaboration unlike any other in the country.
The three step process:
What if we could blend subject matter experts from police, fire, and EMS; Metro State, and United Airlines to develop a CRM based curriculum for responders at any level? The curriculum would be a continuing education — certificate based — program that would focus on the specific task, tactical, and strategic needs of a responder.
Task: this would be a four hour course directed at new members to the emergency response community. These probationary or cadet members will learn CRM principles as they relate to the specific tasks they will be expected to fulfill each day.
Tactical: directed primarily at line level officers — lieutenants, sergeants, paramedics — within fire, police, and EMS, this 8 hour cause will delve directly into the initial command decisions that must be made when arriving to an emergency, how best to coordinate with other first arriving officers, and how those first few decisions dramatically affect the outcome and life safety of the event.
Strategic: High level officers — captains, chiefs, commanders, etc — will take this four hour class. It will focus on high level strategic decisions and how coordination in the face of complexity can be improved with CRM principles. Most importantly, that high level officer will be required to take the task and tactical class before taking the strategic.
Funding:
The elephant in the room. Curriculum development will be the largest one time expense. Efforts by all parties to build this program will require funding. Four options can be considered: 1) Metro makes an initial investment to initiate the program and recoup costs with the delivery. 2) Metro adjusts instructor hours to allot for a semester of curriculum development. 3) Grants for external funding can be explored. 4) United Airlines partnership. Each of these options are of course only initial thoughts.
The Bottom Line:
Complex emergencies are becoming much more frequent in society. The method for managing those emergencies must adapt to this change. The responsibility for adaptation cannot rest solely with the responders on the ground. The community at large has the tools to help out. Metropolitan State University’s Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science is the preeminent authority in educating future pilots in the art of flight and CRM. United takes those graduates, hones, sharpens and cultivates those skills with scientific precision.
When all else fails, it is the firefighter, police officer and EMT who are called to save lives, stabilize the incident, and protect property. Every citizen and organization can call upon first responders at any time. If one possesses the expertise and capability to fundamentally improve upon that critical asset, why not capitalize on it? RFS
About Me
I am a Firefighter, Paramedic, Lieutentant, and OEM Coordinator with the City of Aurora, CO. I see the passion of all emergency responders in this industry and seek to cultivate it to take our response to the next level. Join me in this team effort.
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