NFPA Journal - Summer 2023 - 27

areas in high-risk areas like stadiums or schools.
Such steps acknowledge the differing approaches of
fire and police resources, Webber and others said-
and joint training can meld the two mindsets to
create a more unified response.
That's why the goal of integrated response among
Community Effort
NFPA 3000 emphasizes a broadbased
approach to planning for
hostile events. Here's a sample of
the partner organizations working
on a plan for Augusta, Georgia.
Augusta University
Office of Critical Event
Preparedness
and Response
Center of Operational Medicine
Police Department
Communications and
Media Relations
Richmond County
Fire and EMA
Sheriff's Office
Marshal's Office
Board of Education Police Department
National Fire Protection Association
Doctors Hospital of Augusta
Piedmont Hospital-Augusta
Paine College
Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Augusta
US Department of Homeland Security
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure
Security Agency
Center for Faith-Based and
Neighborhood Partnerships
Fort Gordon US Army Cyber
Center of Excellence
police, fire, and emergency medical technicians features
heavily in NFPA 3000 and has become part
of the Augusta approach. It may lead to a different
approach to incident staging areas. " Hot, warm, and
cold " are often used to describe the danger levels
in descending order at the scene of an incident.
Years ago, moving a rescue task force into a " warm "
area was unheard of. But this could doom wounded
victims who need immediate medical attention.
Augusta's coalition has looked at ways to protect
medical personnel in warm zones and at steps it
could take to enhance emergency medical training
for first responders and even civilians, such as use
of " Stop the Bleed " (stopthebleed.org) emergency-medicine
videos.
Augusta's efforts have included actions at hospital
or critical care centers that are treating victims
and potentially helping law enforcement engage
with noncritically injured patients as part of the
incident investigation. Communication here is
crucial, including for the families of victims who
may be flooding hospitals trying to learn about
the condition of loved ones; Augusta participants
stressed that a hospital needs to offer empathy as
well as efficiency. " If I have an understanding of
what it takes for an emergency room staff to be able
to handle these types of emergencies, then I can
better assist them, " Burden added. " Once you have
that understanding, when you bring those entities
together and train together and prepare together, I
think it just makes for a safer community. "
A solution to many of these challenges is the
establishment of ongoing trainings for a wide variety
of personnel to allow them to understand every
group's mindset and align expectations into a single,
attainable plan. " But it can't be something you do
only once in a while, " Drozd pointed out. " It has to
become muscle memory. "
THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
An important aspect of NFPA 3000 is its focus on
recovery, since the emotional and social tolls of a
hostile event can last far longer than the active
response. " How do we provide closure for folks, families
that have been impacted in unfavorable ways? "
Ryan asked. " How do you institute organization and
some normalcy? And what areas of the community
are going to be tapped to lead that piece? "
In Augusta, the discussions around those questions
have included faith leaders and religious
institutions that are positioned for helping with
recovery, Ryan said. People look to and expect
those organizations to be their safe haven and
their support mechanism in times of need, he said,
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NFPA Journal - Summer 2023

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