Back to Gallery

COMMAND

"Stop the Dying"
Don't Self-Deploy / Do Self-Organize

Build the team at staging. Deploy only by command. Accountable teamwork, disciplined deployment — more lives saved.

Stop the Dying — Don't Self-Deploy / Do Self-Organize infographic. 5-step active shooter response protocol: Incident Occurs, Incident Command, Staging, Build RTFs, Deploy by Command.

One question frequently asked during Active Shooter/Mass Casualty Incident training is whether a Fire Captain or Police Command Officer must be present before Rescue Task Forces (RTFs) can be formed. I would argue no because "Minutes Matter". Every minute spent waiting to organize personnel may delay hemorrhage control, airway management, casualty evacuation, and ultimately definitive surgical care.

In an active shooter response, speed saves lives—but uncontrolled self-deployment can cost lives. The fastest response is one that combines rapid deployment with disciplined command and control. That balance is what allows responders to transition effectively from "Stop the Killing" to "Stop the Dying."

After the active threat in an Active Shooter/Mass Casualty Incident has been neutralized, no law enforcement officer or Fire/EMS provider should self-deploy into the crisis site. The mission has changed from "Stop the Killing" to "Stop the Dying," but accountability and command remain essential. However, this does not mean responding patrol officers should simply stand idle waiting for assignments. An often quoted statement is "Look For Work".

The key distinction is this:

•Do not self-deploy into the crisis site.
•Do self-organize at staging so an accountable, fully staffed Rescue Task Force is immediately available when requested.

As additional officers arrive and the immediate tactical mission has stabilized, they should:

1.Report to the Law Enforcement Staging Area.
2.Locate available Fire/EMS personnel who have also reported to staging and are awaiting assignment.
3.Not wait for command staff (Stars and Bars) who often take precious minutes to arrive on scene. They have diverse responsibilities in an Active Shooter/Mass Casualty Incident. Upon arrival will need to be briefed on the incident before making command decisions. The formation of Rescue Task Forces might not be their highest priority.
4.Organize into a potential Rescue Task Force (RTF) and report to the Exterior Incident Commander who early on should be at the staging location established by Fire/EMS collocated with Law Enforcement.
5.Report as a complete RTF team to Staging, ready for deployment.
6.Deploy only when directed by the Exterior Incident Commander communicating with the Interior supervisor responsible for operations inside the crisis site.

This approach provides several advantages:

•Faster deployment of Rescue Task Forces.
•Better utilization of arriving patrol officers.
•Fire/EMS personnel spend less time waiting for security.
•Maintains accountability through ICS.
•Reduces delays in reaching victims.
•Preserves command and control while accelerating the transition to patient care.

One of the biggest misconceptions during an Active Shooter/Mass Casualty Incident is that a Rescue Task Force (RTF) can be formed simply because a few police officers and Fire/EMS personnel happen to be standing together.

The answer is no. A Rescue Task Force is not simply a group of people. It is an operational resource that functions within the Incident Command System (ICS). It must be assigned a mission, operate under command, maintain accountability, and communicate with the rest of the incident.

Along with the Rescue Task Force model is the Law Enforcement Rescue Model. Officers inside the crisis site who do not have a tactical role inside the crisis site such as creating a secure corridor or secure island should not sit around idle. The Law Enforcement Rescue model works concurrently with the Rescue Task Force Model. As minutes matters, officers can treat, triage and transport victims to their level of skill and medical supplies that they have brought with them into the crisis site.

Who Creates a Rescue Task Force?

A Rescue Task Force should be created by the incident command structure—not by individual responders.

Depending on the size and complexity of the incident, this may involve:

•Law Enforcement Incident Command
•Fire/EMS Incident Command
•Unified Command between the two agencies
•Operations Section personnel directing tactical and medical resources

The important principle is not whether someone is wearing "stars and bars" or a captain's bugles. The important principle is that someone with operational authority has assigned that team a mission within the ICS structure.

Why Self-Deployment Is Dangerous

Imagine four police officers standing at the law enforcement staging area. They walk over to four firefighters and say:

"We're available. Let's go."

That is not an RTF.

Immediately several critical questions arise:

•Who approved their deployment?
•Who knows they entered the building?
•What route are they taking?
•Who is tracking their location?
•What victims are they assigned to?
•Who is providing security for the rest of the building?
•What if another suspect appears?
•Who will rescue the rescuers if they become casualties?
•Who coordinates radio communications?

Without command and accountability, responders can easily become part of the problem rather than the solution.

Rescue Task Forces Must Be Managed

Each RTF should have:

•A specific mission.
•A designated security element.
•Assigned Fire/EMS personnel.
•Communications with command.
•A designated entry route.
•A designated exit route.
•Accountability for everyone entering and leaving the crisis site.

This allows Incident Command to know exactly:

•Who is inside.
•Where they are.
•What they are doing.
•When they are expected back.

Staging Exists for a Reason

The staging area is much more than a parking lot.

It is where resources are:

•Checked in.
•Accounted for.
•Organized.
•Prioritized.
•Assigned missions.
•Reassigned as the incident evolves.

If responders simply leave staging on their own initiative, Incident Command loses accountability and situational awareness. This increases the risk of:

•Blue-on-blue incidents.
•Duplicate efforts.
•Unprotected medical teams.
•Missed victims in other areas.
•Delayed response to new threats.

Flexibility Within Command

This does not mean the process has to be slow or bureaucratic.

A well-trained Unified Command can build and deploy RTFs in seconds.

The difference is that deployment is intentional, communicated, and tracked, rather than improvised by individual responders.

The Bottom Line

Rescue Task Forces are not created by responders shaking hands in the staging area.

They are created through Incident Command.

Every RTF should have:

•An assigned mission.
•Security.
•Medical capability.
•Accountability.
•Communications.
•A clear command relationship.

"In an active shooter response, speed saves lives—but uncontrolled self-deployment can cost lives. The fastest response is one that combines rapid deployment with disciplined command and control."

Back to Gallery