FBI briefs first responders on active shooter situations

Published 4:02 am Sunday, March 20, 2016

    The FBI briefed law enforcement command staff this week on the best way to respond to an active shooter event or other emergencies and lessons learned from prior events.

    FBI Special Agent Christopher Michaelsen laid out various scenarios during a seminar at Ensign Jesse L. Brown Memorial Navy Gateway Inns & Suites on the grounds of NAS Meridian.

    Representatives from the 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field, Lauderdale County Emergency Management, area fire and rescue personnel and various departments from the Navy, including security, emergency management, fire and rescue, and health officials took part in the training.

    Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott Spears said a main focus was getting the designated people in the right place during an actual emergency.

    “One of the major topics was medical EMS as far as getting victims treatment and who is going where,” Spears said. “We went over who does NAS call if it gets overwhelmed? We have a mutual aid agreement with Lauderdale County. In this course, FBI agents are giving us suggestions on what to do in crisis situations.”

    Spears said discussions also included what options emergency services personnel have when faced when active shooters have explosive devices on scene.

    “We’ll put all the information together and see if we can come up with a good plan,” Spears said.

    Maj. Jason McEhenney, with the 186th Air Refueling Wing Key Field, Air Force Support Squadron Commander, said leaning on other agencies is essential in times of emergency.

    “The one takeaway of most importance is the relationship with other agencies,” McEhenney said. “In my 25 years of law enforcement, it is important to know who to call. It’s more evident during a crisis situation. We always learn some new techniques and procedures that we can take back to incorporate into the way we do  business.”

    Multi-agency cooperation is the key in these discussions, according to Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Mississippi Don Alway.

    “These exercises bring different agencies together of different police departments,” Alway said. “What we do together is share the best practices with our local and state partners and prepare them for instances around the country,”

    “In events like Virginia Tech and others, we’ve analyzed procedures with first responders. We’ve participated in reviews of incidents and evaluated them after the fact to see what worked well and what could have been done differently.

    “This training can help train local communities as to what to do from a civilian standpoint,” Alway added.

    Jason Pack, an agent with the FBI’s Jackson office, said the two-day exercises are conducted every two years around the country to educate first responders.

    “We sit down and discuss historical cases and pose questions to participants of what you would do if it happened in your community,” Pack said.

     “That involves everyone from emergency management to the police to EMS and even hospitals to discuss the logistics os those responding to such an incident. It’s a two-fold process to make sure the community is prepared to help the victims and how we as the FBI would enlist their assistance in our investigation.”