NFPA Journal - Spring 2023 - 11

Chunli Zhao,
a farmworker
charged with
shooting and killing
seven people in
Half Moon Bay,
California, in
January. Identifying
and interrupting
potential shooters
before they act
is a fraught and
complex process,
experts admit.
Others pose a
key question: In
the face of this
continued violence,
what do we stand to
lose if we don't act?
the US has primarily been the exclusive domain
of law enforcement. NFPA 3000 instead focuses
on a whole-community approach preparing for,
responding to, and recovering from mass casualty
shooter events. The document, which requires
close collaboration and joint training with police,
fire, hospitals, and other community groups, is
meant to prepare communities to work together
to minimize casualties when incidents occur and
maximize support and resources for victims.
However, as the approach to mass shooting prevention
evolves to include organizations outside of
law enforcement-such as fire departments, hospitals,
businesses, and social service agencies-the
topic " could now be fertile ground for the expansion
of the NFPA 3000 if we're looking at it from a
whole-community approach, " Drozd said.
There is also potential for the fire service and
emergency medical services to be more involved in
identifying and reporting the many early warning
signs of potential shooters, Drozd said. According
to the NTAC, " Early intervention is key to prevention
and can be accomplished using existing
community resources, including crisis intervention
programs, social services, mental health treatment,
and, if warranted, a criminal justice response. "
Due to a shortage of mental health resources
in many communities, firefighters and EMS
have often and unwittingly found themselves on
the front lines of America's mental health and
drug abuse crises, responding again and again
to deliver aid to people whose needs might be
better served elsewhere. Out of necessity, some
departments have come up with innovative
solutions, such as community paramedicine and
mobile integrated health care, to quickly assess
patients-including those with chronic ailments,
drug addictions, mental health issues, or all of the
above-and efficiently route them to community
partners who can provide the services they need.
" The fire service hasn't traditionally done this
specifically with active shooters, because these
individuals cannot be easily identified, but we
have a lot of experience with opioid users and
rerouting calls to more appropriate organizations
to get them the services they need, " Drozd said.
" Whether we can do this as part of active shooter
prevention raises some good questions, and could
be a topic we discuss moving forward. "
At the rate people are dying from guns in America,
safety officials everywhere are desperate to
find and discuss solutions. Shortly after the NTAC
report was released, the agency held a virtual
event to review its findings. More than 20,000
people from all 50 states signed up to attend.
Meanwhile, the final week of January looked
much like the other three: 13 more mass shootings
occurred across the US, resulting in 17 more dead
and 47 injured.
JESSE ROMAN is senior editor at NFPA Journal and host of
the NFPA Podcast.
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NFPA Journal - Spring 2023

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