Excerpted from: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet
NEWS Service Sunday, September 7, 1997 Vol. 1-250
FIRE-EMS Terrorism Security
Protocols
By: Clark Staten, Executive Director and Sr. Analyst
Emergency Response & Research Institute
On at least two occasions in Europe, one in Asia, and a recent
one in Lima, Peru, terrorists'/criminals have commandeered or
stolen EMS vehicles and uniforms and used them to gain access to
restricted or sensitive areas....often with devastating results.
It is respectfully suggested that as the threat of both domestic
and international terrorism heightens, that the following
measures be be considered for implementation in FIRE/EMS systems
where the threat level warrants such precautions.
A. Establish a security vocabulary, (i.e. a password of the day)
that only our people and the police would know about. Change it
daily.
B. Provide police escort to a command post area, at or near to
any major violence scene and coordinate the actions of the
paramedics and Fire/EMS supervisors with the necessary police
command personnel.
C. Establish a radio code for dispatchers to use to give a
warning to any crew responding to any potentially violent
circumstance.
D. During times of extended crisis, consider issuing color-coded
I.D. tags that can be worn on the exterior of uniforms to
identify actual emergency service personnel. Change the
colors/codings daily.
E. Maintain a constant liaison with the local police department,
sheriff' office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning
any incident/potential need for EMS that might involve
extraordinary dangers. An integrated focus for intelligence
gathering/sharing is recommended.
F. Offer the option of secondary phone calls to the dispatch
center to ascertain that a "real" EMS unit was
dispatched to an incident (not someone who looks like us)
G. Take extremely seriously any theft of fire dept. apparatus or
ambulances and issue an "all-points" bulletin to all
nearby police agencies, should a theft occur.
H. Have dispatchers send EMS supervisors automatically to any
incident that "sounds" to have the potential for mass
casualties. Early coordination increases safety and facilitates
better management and lower mortality and morbidity.
I. Warn EMS personnel about the possibility of secondary
explosions that might be placed for the purposes of maiming or
killing rescue personnel.
J. Brief EMS personnel on the appropriate actions to take if they
find or encounter "a suspicious package," briefcase, or
other unknown device (especially in a frequented public place).
(i.e. call for Police/Explosive Ordinance disposal team
K. Train EMS personnel about what to do if confronted by on-going
violent incident that begins or escalates while they are on the
scene.
L. Sensitize EMS personnel to the appropriate actions to be taken
at "Demonstrations" or other "protest"
activities. Warn them not to become involved at all in the
incident unless sufficient police manpower is available to
provide security for them. Unfortunately, anybody in a uniform
could become a victim, even at a "Peace protest."
M. Consider using staging areas, nearby to an anticipated large
scale incident, that will provide a rapid response time, should
medics be needed, but will not directly involve the medics,
unless they are actually needed at the scene.
Although the need for extensive internal security procedures for
Fire/EMS personnel might seem "overblown" by some at
this time, the threats by Hamas, Hezbollas, Qaddaffi, Hussein,
domestic extremist groups, criminals, and the psychotic are very
real. Only by planning and coordinating their actions with other
appropriate authorities and undertaking appropriate security
precautions can Fire/EMS personnel be prepared to make their
maximum contribution to the public safety and security.
(c) Copyright, EmergencyNet NEWS Service, 1997. All Rights
Reserved. Redistribution without permission is prohibited by law.
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