Prepared for the worst

The Springfield Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department has received training on faster, “warm-zone” emergency medical response to active shooter situations, and has begun offering specialized training to other state EMS departments.

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2016-10-15 / Front Page Prepared for the worst Springfield Fire Department leading state on ‘active shooter’ training By TORY JONES BONENFANT toryb@eagletimes.com Springfield Fire and EMS Capt. Paul Stagner, left, and Capt. Aaron Sylvester demonstrate a tactical Level 3 ballistics vest and emergency supplies backpack, part of “warm zone” response equipment that is now in every Springfield ambulance. — TORY JONES BONENFANT Springfield Fire and EMS Capt. Paul Stagner, left, and Capt. Aaron Sylvester demonstrate a tactical Level 3 ballistics vest and emergency supplies backpack, part of “warm zone” response equipment that is now in every Springfield ambulance. — TORY JONES BONENFANT SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department has received training on faster, “warm-zone” emergency medical response to active shooter situations, and has begun offering specialized training to other state EMS departments. “Every day we read about, in our nation, incidents that involve a potential active shooter situation, Springfield Fire Chief Russell Thompson said on Friday, Oct. 14. “So preparedness and actually having the mindset of ‘not if, but when,’ is a key component for this.” The program and the dynamic in which emergency medical service providers respond to an active shooter situation is changing and evolving, he said. “Nationally, we have had to look at and react to the situation differently to prevent loss of life,” Thompson said. SFE is “leading the way in the state,” working in partnership with the Vermont State Police (VSP) in getting the training together, SFD Capt. Paul Stagner said. The premise is to get EMTs into situations “a lot faster,” he said. “It’s a complete paradigm change,” he said, because EMTs have traditionally operated in a “safe zone,” waiting until a police have swept the scene and any potential dangerous situation cleared. Stagner is working with Thompson, Deputy Chief Scott Richardson, and Capt. Aaron Sylvester to implement the trainings and offer them to other departments across Vermont. Stagner and Sylvester give the trainings, giving the EMS viewpoint and “team teaching” with VSP officers, who instruct on the police response. SFD has been working with the VSP tactical team for the past two years on the training. In Springfield, the whole fire department now receives the “warm zone” active shooter training, Stagner said. “We see the need,” because shootings do happen in Vermont, he said. EMS response through the training involves going into a contained zone that has been initially swept, and with police confident that there is no longer an “active threat,” but with EMS still in protective gear, he said. “We’re not going into a scene with bullets flying by us,” Sylvester said. Potentially dangerous police-response situations have zones in concentric circles around the situation. In the middle is a hot zone, surrounded by the warm zone, and on the outer edge, the cool zone. In the past, EMS providers have had to wait — sometimes up to 6 or 8 hours — in the cool zone before being allowed to enter and administer medical and potentially life-saving treatment. That is changing, with a initiative that is gaining momentum nationwide to have EMS responders in the “warm zone” for quick response, he said. At an elementary school shooting 10 years ago in Essex, EMS providers had to wait more than six hours before they could enter the building, Stagner said. People that perish in incidents like this usually die from bleeding out within minutes, which could be prevented with a simple tourniquet, or from wounds that could be treated, he said. Sylvester said that at the shooting in Columbine High School, which was on a six-acre campus, it was eight hours before EMS could come into the building because they had to wait for police to search every closet, room and space on school property. “Active shooter” situations can be anywhere at any time, and are not just taking place at schools. The situation could occur at shopping malls, offices, public settings and homes, he said. If warm-zone trained EMS respond to an active shooter scenario, they can go in two at a time, protected by a rescue task force of four tactical officers, to assess if patients can be moved, and provide medical assistance on the spot if needed. All of the EMTs and paramedics at SFD are also firefighters, and are used to working in hazardous environments all the time, Stagner said. “So working in a warm zone is natural for us,” he said. The guidelines used in the trainings are from a 2012 Federal Emergency Management “Modified Practices” directive in response to active shooter situations in the country, and the loss of life associated with them. Law enforcement agencies have new dynamics now also, for quicker response time, Richardson said. The tactical component is now being taught to all VSP new cadets, and active shooter situations have been part of state police training for many years. “Adding EMS is the new component,” Thompson said. The team in Springfield have also been talking to the state EMS director, and moving forward with trainings. They are hopeful that other EMS providers in the state will get on board with the idea, and either take part in trainings, or attend them as information sessions. “People are extremely appreciative, and asking how to get equipment and training,” Stagner said. Not all EMS departments may be ready to join in with the trainings or be comfortable yet with the idea of working in a warm zone, but could use the sessions to be aware of what some departments are now doing, Thompson said. Sylvester demonstrated a Level 3 tactical ballistics vest on Friday at the combined fire department and ambulance service headquarters. The vest is heavier than a standard bullet-proof vest, built to protect the wearer from high-powered rifles, and includes protective built-in plates, a flashlight, and pockets for compression gauze and tourniquets, both of which all SFD personnel have been trained to self-apply. All SFD ambulances are fitted with tactical equipment, which the department purchased a few years ago — without any grant funds — and have been trained on since. The units also have backpacks that contain more tourniquets, bandages for amputations, chest decompression tools for airways, and other life-saving equipment. SFD serves a town population of about 9,200 people in 49.6 square miles, and also provides fire protection and emergency medical service to the village of Baltimore, Vermont. SFD responds to approximately 2,300 requests for service a year, including emergency and non-emergency responses, according to the department’s website. SFD has a total combined staff of 50 members, including 12 career staffers: A fire chief, deputy fire chief, four captains, and six firefighter/EMT-Is. On-call members make up the balance of the 50 and include an assistant chief and six to 10 firefighter/EMT-Bs. Thompson said the next step will be to continue getting word out that the training is available, and to encourage more community planners to be aware of the “bigger picture” and EMS warm-zone response training. For more information or to take part in trainings, contact VSP Tactical Services Unit Commander Lt. Hugh O’Donnell at (802) 234-9933 or hugh.odonnell@vermont.gov, or SFD at (802) 885-4546.