MFRI BULLETIN J A N U A R Y- M A R C H
On arrival of an emergency incident, situational awareness plays a key role in the safety and success of the outcome. Understanding situational awareness on both emergency and nonemergency incidents is paramount for the safety of today’s first responder. The first question every EMS provider is taught to ask is, “Is the scene safe?” Today, MFRI’s Incident Command Simulation Center (ICS) teaches new Fire Officers that they, too, must ask the same question before beginning operations on any type of incident. The ICS finds that new officers’ eyes are drawn to the location of the flames in the simulations, and they are trained to understand how to maintain total incident
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awareness and understanding. Over the next year, MFRI will be publishing a series of articles in The Bulletin on responder safety, situational awareness and special responses to assist our instructors and first responders to better understand these concepts. The following article, “Fire and EMS Operations During Civil Disturbances,” is intended to stimulate conversations about situational awareness and introduce concepts that are used outside of the normal day-today operations during such events. Our hope is that each instructor and/or responder ask the questions, “Are we teaching the appropriate
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concepts /materials?”, and “Are all emergency responders prepared to safely handle an event of this type?” This article was originally published in the DomPrep Journal, edited and reprinted here by permission from the author. This subject is timely and we hope that it sparks much discussion among our instructors and the emergency responders given the current state of affairs throughout our country and around the world. - Gary E. Warren, Deputy Chief, Chief of Operations & Special Operations (Retired) Baltimore County Fire Department; MFRI Instructor, Incident Command Simulation Center
FIRE AND EMS OPERATIONS DURING CIVIL DISTURBANCES by Michael E. Cox, Jr., MFRI Executive Director
Civil disturbances have been defined by the U.S. Department of Defense as: group acts of violence or disorder that is prejudicial to the public law and order. Civil disturbances typically fall into one of two categories: simple disobedience for the law, or uncontrolled anarchy and rioting. There are numerous types of civil disobedience, such as unruly
Rioters destroy police car during the 2015 Baltimore City riots. (Photo
courtesy CNN) fans at concerts or sporting events, unpopular decisions within college communities, different types of public protest/celebrations gone bad, unpopular court verdicts, out-of-favor political parties/decisions, and recently the negative perceptions of law enforcement/emergency services interactions by some of our citizens within a community. Regardless of the reason, incidents of civil disturbances are not limited to a single particular area and have been known to occur from coast to coast in urban, suburban, and rural areas within our great nation. All emergency response agencies must be prepared for these types of incidents and be aware that civil disturbance incidents can create situations whereby emergency responders must function in a modified
response mode in order to better ensure safe and efficient operations. This will, at times, create confusion for those response agencies that are not prepared, as these incidents require a change in tactics from the normal day-to-day operational framework that many of our fire and EMS personnel are so accustomed to working within. In order to prepare for and mitigate civil disturbance incidents successfully, fire/EMS response agencies should implement some tried and tested initiatives. One of the first initiatives that must be employed is planning. Planning is a key component in all significant initiatives, and it should begin long before a civil disturbance incident occurs. This process should start with the development of a hazardspecific annex or a section of the
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The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute of the University of Maryland is the state’s comprehensive training and education system for all-hazard responses. The Institute plans, researches, develops and delivers quality programs to prepare agencies and individuals to protect life, the environment and property. Bulletin Staff Editor: Diane May Graphics: Ana Maizel Assistant Editor: Karen Haje Contact MFRI tel: 301-226-9921 fax: 301-314-0752 www.mfri.org bulletin@mfri.org The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Bulletin (MFRI) University of Maryland (ISSN 1074-2298) is published quarterly by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute of the University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. Periodical postage paid at College Park, MD 20740. Postmaster: Send address changes to Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, Bulletin, 4500 Campus Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742. The MFRI Bulletin is distributed as a public service of the University of Maryland. The Bulletin is dedicated to the publication of information that will help educate its readers on the subjects of fire protection, emergency medical services, rescue, leadership and training. This publication may contain some articles and illustrations provided by readers. MFRI does not necessarily agree with information nor endorse any products depicted in the Bulletin. Address all communications to Editor at MFRI. For change of address, send mailing label and new address. The MFRI Bulletin is produced entirely in house. We extend our sincere gratitude to our contributors who make this publication possible.
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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR As we enter another year I want to thank all of our faculty, staff, and instructors for all that they do to make the Institute the world class organization that it is known as. Without this tremendous team effort we would not have been able to accomplish all that we have in the past year. While we all know that change is necessary for our continued success, it is fair to say that our customers will continue to see our focus on health and safety, new technologies and equipment, research and development, and new/revised programs. We have made many changes and improvements this year such as: purchasing various new props/equipment for EMT, ALS, Fire, Hazmat and Rescue programs. We also obtained new PPE/SCBA for our instructors; revised/developed many programs across all disciplines; and continued to deliver some programs through non-traditional methods. However, we still have much more to do. While I would like to think there is light at the end of the tunnel as it pertains to COVID, we still continue to see this illness having an effect on our delivery models, class sizes, and functions here at the Institute. Nonetheless, during the previous year we were still able to provide instruction through the delivery of 1,527 program to programs, totaling more than 516,000 instructional hours for approximately 22,000 emergency providers here in our State. I am excited for the new year and the accomplishments/enhancements that will be realized moving forward for our emergency services providers to ensure the improvement of instruction and learning at all levels. I am reminded of a statement by John P. Kotter where he referred to change in the business environment stating: “The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades.” Thus, we must continue to manage change within our organization to ensure we meet the ever changing needs of our customers.
MICHAEL E. COX JR.
AUDREY WILLIAMS CHOSEN FOR LEADERSHIP MARYLAND CLASS OF 2022 education, and non-profit communities will serve as panelists and guest speakers.
The Leadership Maryland Organization announced that Audrey Williams, the Director of Administrative Services/ Equity Administrator at the University of Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, has been chosen to participate in the professional development program as a member of the Class of 2022. Williams is one of 52 individuals chosen for Leadership Maryland’s 29th class, who will complete the eight-month, hands-on learning program focused on the state’s most vital issues. The program will run from April to December, and include five, two-day sessions focused on Maryland’s five main geographic regions and the most important issues impacting economic development, education, health and human services, criminal justice, the environment, and multiculturalism/diversity across the state. More than 100 experts representing Maryland’s business, government,
Leadership Maryland, established in 1992, is a non-profit organization offering professional and youth development programs dedicated to building a better Maryland by harnessing the strength of its current and future leaders. Leadership Maryland is open to senior-level executives with significant achievements in either their careers and/or their communities. Ideal Leadership Maryland members have a desire to learn more about Maryland’s most critical issues and a personal commitment to positive change in their organizations, communities, and state. For more information about Leadership Maryland, please visit leadershipmd.org, call 410-841-2101 or email info@ leadershipmd.org.
Fire and EMS Operations During Civil Disturbances continued from front page
jurisdiction’s Emergency Operations Plan/ Emergency Management Plan dedicated to civil disturbances. Civil disturbance incidents are very labor intensive, usually involve multiple jurisdictions, and extend into multiple operational periods. These incidents also generate intense media coverage around the clock. Planning for these incidents should also include departmental call backs, holdovers, up-staffing, automatic/mutual aid assistance from throughout the region and/or state, and the implementation of these plans through regular tabletop exercises. Planning should also continue at lower levels of the government through the development of policies or procedures in the fire, EMS, and law enforcement agencies whereby specific actions and steps will be taken in the event such an incident occurs. These policies and procedures
good communications and a unified command structure. Open and clear lines of communication, coupled with an effective unified command presence, will enhance strategic decision making and overall command and control of the incident. Consideration should be given to opening all Emergency Operation Centers (multi-agency coordination centers) in both the affected jurisdiction and at the state level. Emergency Operation Centers in some of the surrounding jurisdictions should also open with at least a skeleton crew. The opening of these centers A fire engine with a windshield damaged by rioters will help facilitate requests in a timely throwing rocks and bottles at emergency responders fashion, thus preventing delays in enroute to a call during the 2015 Baltimore riots. assistance or additional resources that may be needed. Communications and an appropriate Similarly, strong consideration must be incident management structure given to utilizing the National Incident should also be addressed in the plan. Incidents such as this require Management System (NIMS) area should be developed in a tiered fashion to ensure all types of civil disturbances are addressed, as well as any operational changes that may be implemented during such an event.
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command concept. Area commands are an excellent way to manage incidents dispersed over large geographic areas and evolve over multiple operational periods. They are frequently used to manage multiple incidents within a particular geographical area competing for the same resources where large scale coordination of the overall incident is conducted at a higher jurisdictional level. Moreover, jurisdictions that find themselves besieged by a civil disturbance incident that looks to last for a long duration (more than 2-3 days) should consider the utilization of local or regional incident management teams (IMT). IMT are also a component of the NIMS and consist of a team of highly trained personnel who are capable of managing large, man-made or natural disasters. They are typically called upon to allow agency administrators and key appointed/elected officials to remove themselves from the actual management of an incident to provide decision making /support of an incident from a macro or jurisdictional level. Response assignments utilizing task forces is another initiative that should be employed at civil disturbance incidents to improve responder safety. Task forces are usually assembled at predesignated staging areas outside of the immediate incident location. They usually are made up of two engines, one ladder truck, one battalion chief, and a complement of law enforcement units. Likewise, task forces used for EMS incidents may include an engine company, medical transport unit, medical supervisor and law enforcement or multiple medical transport units, a medical supervisor, and law enforcement. The key thing to remember is that there is safety in numbers, and no fire or EMS unit should be operating alone in a theater of operation involving civil disturbances. The task force concept was used successfully in California during the 1992 Los Angeles (Rodney King) riots, as well as within numerous other jurisdictions across the country since that time. A fourth initiative that should be
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implemented during civil disturbances is operational changes that increase situational awareness and responder safety. There is an old saying that, “all politics is local.” This seems to hold true when it comes to the safety of our responders. Personnel operating in a particular geographic area inside a riot zone have first-hand knowledge of the citizens in the area and can sense when things are about to turn bad. Fire/EMS responders should be made aware of what sparked these incidents and remain ever vigilant not to exacerbate or escalate the situation. Decision making at an incident scene should be pushed to the lowest levels, giving on-scene incident commanders the ability to quickly retreat from a hostile area if necessary. Responders should also maintain and increased level of situational awareness by assigning one person on each call as a lookout or observer. These individuals will be able to warn and inform crew members or the incident commander of pending safety issues with roaming crowds or bystanders at the scene. They will also be able to advise if law enforcement personnel are called away to another incident, leaving fire/EMS personnel alone in a hostile area. Another method to help ensure the safety of fire/EMS responders is to initiate the hit and run and swoop-in/ swoop-out tactics during responses in areas of civil disturbances. These tactical considerations should focus on preventing conflagrations and/or the removal of injured people from the area of active unrest. Fire suppression activities should focus on preventing the spread of fire and protecting critical infrastructure. Defensive operations should be mandatory. No interior firefighting, SCBA usage, roof operations or the laddering of structures, as these tactics will allow fire/EMS personnel to become possible targets for projectiles or gun fire. All operations should focus on quick knock downs, followed by a quick exit from the hazardous area. During EMS operations, crews should focus on rapid extrication/ transportation from a troubled area.
Consideration should also be given to the use of SWAT medics and armored personnel carriers to extricate critically injured victims on the frontlines when it is unsafe for medical transport units to enter an active hostile area near the police lines. Additionally, consider establishing casuality collection points outside of active riot areas where people can come to receive care when injured if
Cars or dumpsters that pose no threat or danger to surrounding structures should be left to burn so emergency responders can respond to higher priority calls. www. inquisitr.com
it is unsafe or not immediately possible to enter a hazardous area. Next, dispatch/response changes should be implemented. Changes in emergency dispatches will allow jurisdictions to better manage the increased call volume typically seen with civil disturbances. Sending a reduced assignment such as a task force response will permit additional units to remain available or respond to the additional call volume they may be experiencing. Likewise, call triaging should be instituted, allowing car, dumpster or rubbish fires that are not a threat to any structures to continue to burn in lieu of handling higher priority calls where structures and or life safety issues need to take precedence over these nuisance incidents. These fires can be extinguished later when the higher priority calls have been mitigated and the area is safe to operate in. Regardless, responder safety must be the highest priority. Civil disturbances require fire/EMS organizations to function outside of their normal comfort zone by making operational changes that enhance responder safety.
FACULTY AND STAFF SPOTLIGHT JIM KEY
Jim joins the Institute as the new Southern Maryland Regional Coordinator. Jim is a lifelong EMS/Fire/Rescue professional. He has nearly 30 years of experience in various facets of emergency services. He began as a volunteer at the Berwyn Heights VFD and is a life member of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad. He worked for over 20 years as a career Firefighter/Paramedic with the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department. Jim is a State Certified MICRB instructor, and a Nationally Registered Paramedic.
RUDY LEONARD Rudy is our new Northeast Regional Training Coordinator.
Rudy worked since 2019 in Special Programs and most recently as ALS Coordinator. He worked for more than 22 years as a Firefighter/Paramedic in the Baltimore City FD and as a member of the United States Armed Forces where he served multiple tours overseas as an officer and received numerous awards and medals. Rudy holds a BS degree in Fire Science and Emergency Management; a Master’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management; and a Doctorate degree in Adult Education.
APRIL ROE
April was recently assigned as the Program Management Coordinator in the Operations Section after having been an administrative assistant for the last few years. Prior to joining UMD, Roe worked at a dental office in Edgewater.
RHONDA DESPER After working at the Institute for over 16 years, Rhonda has moved to the Executive Director’s Office as our new Executive Coordinator. She is a proven administrative support specialist. Rhonda is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and business management at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
JOHN TIBBS
John is our new Grants Coordinator in the Operations Section. He comes to MFRI with a diverse background in grants and financial management from the federal government and State of Maryland where he has led and managed various programs reviewing, preparing, applying, awarding, managing, tracking, invoicing, and closing grants. John possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science/ Public Administration and is currently completing his Master’s degree in Business Administration.
JACK BEALL
Jack has assumed the role of Upper Eastern Shore Regional Training Coordinator. He served more than 23 years in the Anne Arundel County Fire Department retiring as a Battalion Chief. He is currently a member of the MFRI ATRA and is the Manager of our Certification and Accreditation Program. Jack holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.
ALEX PERRICONE
Alex has assumed the role of State Programs Manager in the Operations Section. Alex began his career as a volunteer at the Manchester VFD. He served more than 32 years as a career firefighter in the Baltimore City FD and has a diverse EMS/Fire/Rescue background. He is a graduate of the U.S. Fire Administration Executive Fire Officer Program. Alex is a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers, a Nationally Registered and State Certified Paramedic, and a MFRI instructor. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
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INSTRUCTOR HIGHLIGHT
ROBERT “BOBBY” DAYWALT
What can students expect from your class?
My students are expected to pay attention and learn. They should also ask questions when they are not sure of the class material. I also advise all students, “you get out of a class what you put in it.”
What is you most memorable teaching moment?
In helping with the high school vo-tech program, I have been thanked by many students for teaching them and the students that have been hired by a Career Department contact me to let me know. Mr. Daywalt resides in Ridgely, MD. He began as a volunteer firefighter in Eastport VFD, Co 36, at age 16. In 2010, Daywalt retired from the Annapolis Fire Department as the Capboldtain of Fire & Explosives Investigation. Since 1998. he has been a MFRI Instructor in EMS, Fire, HAZMAT, and Rescue.
What inspired you to be an instructor?
When I worked for the AFD, I was detailed to the Howard County Fire Department for Recruit Class training and was asked to become an instructor and went through the MICRB process to become certified.
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What is your best advice to a student taking courses at MFRI?
“You get out what you put in. It is all worth the hard work in the end and you even qualify for college credits for many MFRI classes.”
Share with us a fun fact not related to teaching:
I enjoy keeping the history of the Annapolis Fire Department alive for the younger generations being hired today.
What do you enjoy/love about working for MFRI?
I enjoy the people that I work with and every time I teach or support a class, I learn new things to put in my teaching toolbox.
UPDATE ON MFRI PILOT COURSES MFRI is currently offering several courses in pilot version. Additional courses are in the revision process and will be moved to pilot later this year. MFRI has been fortunate to have SME groups to assist with the development of these classes. Even though the SME groups work closely with the developer, there are still times when additional changes need to be made to courses before they are ready to come out of pilot. The Planning Section reviews course evaluations submitted through Survey Monkey. On occasion, the Planning Section also receive emails from instructors with course feedback. In an effort to receive additional feedback, Planning is going to try something new. They will begin having a meeting with instructors who served as lead for a pilot class and the SMEs who participated in the development process. This meeting will be via Zoom and will be held at the end of the first semester that the course is in pilot. Information that is shared during this meeting will be reviewed in conjunction with course evaluations and emails to determine what, if any changes can and should be made.
Currently In Pilot
Emergency Medical Responder (New Jan 2022) Instructor I Instructor II/III Fire Inspector I Fire Inspector II Fire Officer I Fire Officer II
Fire Officer III Fire Officer IV Marine FF Airport FF Emergency Vehicle Operator Emergency Services Officer I Vehicle Extrication (pilot will begin late March or early April)
Courses Currently Being Revised
Pumper Operator Aerial Operator Health and Safety Officer Incident Safety Officer
Site Ops Swift Water Rescue Surface Water Rescue
Courses Scheduled To Be Revised
Hazardous Materials Technical Rope Rescue -Operations Confined Space Rescue Hazardous Materials Trench Rescue -Technician Structural Collapse Hazardous Materials Emergency Services -Incident Commander -Officer II Hazardous Materials -Awareness
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MFRI BULLETIN
Indicia
MARYLAND FIRE AND RESCUE INSTITUTE COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742 | WWW.MFRI.ORG |
WATER SUPPLY OFFICER PLANNING SEMINAR Each year, fires occur in rural and non-hydrant areas that account for significant loss. These fires typically occur where hydrants are in excess of 2,000 feet from the occupancy on fire. Historically, in the more rural areas, the dwellings and occupancies were small homes or out buildings that did not require significant fire flows to accomplish extinguishment. However, in recent years, with the advent of lightweight construction and buildings with over 4,000 square feet of living space located in non-hydrant areas, water supply requirements have become critical. These incidents easily overwhelm the first-arriving company officer and their ability to generate adequate water supplies. Metro area stations sometimes comment that “they don’t need to learn about rural water supply because the rural stations will handle operation”. Sadly, this is not the case. Most of the time metro area companies are responsible for water supply operations. It is important you possess the knowledge of the responsibilities to serve as Water Supply Group Supervisor, Fill Site Unit Leader and the Dump Site Unit Leader. The University of Maryland, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute will host a Water Supply Officer Planning Seminar on March 26th from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at MFRI in College Park, Maryland. The seminar will be presented by Captain Stephen Stanton, Anne Arundel County Fire Department, and the MFRI Incident Command Simulation Center. This seminar is designed as a management program with group activities and interactive scenarios to expand your Water Supply Officer planning skills and abilities. Participants will obtain key information along with tips of the trade, focused on improving your skills as an incident Water Supply Group Supervisor. For more information contact Mike Baker at mbaker@mfri.org, 301.226.9947.