Editorial

From the Editor’s Desk

Dennis Whittam, Editor Are You Ready forSomething That Can’t Happen?

An AS/MCI (active shooter/mass casualty incident) drill was held at Greenport (NY) High School on June 4, 2022. The drill had been scheduled months prior, but somewhat eerily took place 11 days after the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in which 19 elementary school students and two teachers were slaughtered. The proximity to that latest AS/MCI is what has prompted this editorial. The drill involved the Southold Police, Suffolk Police, North Fork fire departments and EMS services from Jamesport to Orient, and even several South Fork departments, along with moulaged teenage actors to play victims. By all reports the exercise was a success.

But what makes a successful AS/MCI drill?

According to FEMA’s 2013 white paper, Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department Operational Considerations and Guide for Active Shooter and Mass Casualty Incidents, there are several things that responding agencies need to incorporate into a specific SOPfor such an event. Why formalize reacting to an AS/MCI if your department already has an MCI plan in place? Because the “AS” part of the exercise makes it, nearly, an entirely different animal.

Some particular areas of focus, become apparent with little thought and are proved out —or have problems made obvious —by an AS/MCI drill. Some key facets are communication between the parties, including ensuring all parties are not only able to communicate with each other, but use the same terminologies when doing so. This is unlikely to be a problem between FDs and EMS, but it may become a problem when communicating with law enforcement (LE) who, in most instances, will be first on the scene.

Other areas of concern will become apparent in frequent drills involving all the aforementioned agencies, as well as local hospitals and trauma units. There needs to be a single Incident Command Post for fire, EMS and LE.

The goal of any and all SOPs is to plan, prepare and respond in a manner that will save the maximum number of lives possible.

Although in their careers most first responders have encountered some horrific scenarios, the results of a mass shooting of unarmed people — seemingly more often than not children with obviously terminal wounds —will undoubtedly be something first responders will never forget. Many of the first responders will be long-term casualties of this ongoing slaughter, even if they never spilled a drop of their own blood. As psychology researcher Deborah C. Beidel, Ph.D. of the University of Central Florida, who has studied the impact these slaughters have on first responders, put it, “There are just some events that are so horrific that no human being should be able to just process that and put it away.”

Add after-action reports and treatments to the long list of things an AS/MCI SOPdemands.

Alast note … “It’ll never happen here” too often becomes, “Oh my God, how did this happen?”

Be prepared for the thing that’ll never happen. And the only way to do so is to train for it. - Gary P. Joyce

Managing Editor Gary P. Joyce is filling in for Editor Dennis Whittam this month. Joyce is a decorated three-tour Viet Nam combat veteran.

Elizabethtown FFs Save Pets

Elizabethtown Shift 2 firefighters responded to a structure fire at a home on Kentucky Drive recently. The residents were safely out of the home when crews arrived, but there were animals inside that firefighters were able to evacuate safely, as well. - Photo courtesy of Elizabethtown FD

Henderson Mobile Home

The Henderson Fire Department responded fora mobile home fire in the 800 block of Washington Street recently. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was underinvestigation by officials. - Photo courtesy of Henderson FD

Fire Alarms Save AnotherLife

on April 21, 2022, at 0303, Louisville Fire Department crews were dispatched to a three-story structure fire on West Main Street. Fire companies arrived within three minutes to find heavy fire coming from a three-story dwelling, with homes located close to the east and west. One occupant (alerted by working smoke detectors) had safely escaped priorto the arrival of fire crews. - Photo courtesy of Louisville Division of Fire

FF, Civ. Injured at Westwood Fire

At 2016 on April 23, 2022, crews responded fora structure fire on New Buckley Road in Westwood at 2016. The ownerwas treated and transported to Kings Daughters Medical Centerforburns on her hands, legs and hip. Captain Josh Evans was injured when he fell through the floorand was transported fora knee injury to Kings Daughters Medical Center. - Submitted by Brent Webster, Fire Chief

Page 8, Fire News, July/August 2022 Cover Story

Lexington fire crews were dispatched to the 300 block of Georgetown Place forthe report of smoke and flames in a structure. Upon arrival, crews found advanced fire conditions in a large, threestory church. Due to the advanced nature of the fire, unstable building conditions, and nearby exposures, fire crews initiated a defensive fire attack. The incident commandercalled fora second alarm foradditional firefighters to the scene. Over60 firefighters worked to extinguish this fire, which took around 90 minutes to bring undercontrol. Fire crews remained on scene throughout the night monitoring the scene and putting out hot spots. No injuries orhospital transports were reported as a result of this fire. The origin and cause of the fire were underinvestigation. - Photos courtesy of Lexington FD

Lexington 2-Alarm Church Fire

FireNews.com Fire News, July/August 2022, Page 9 1 Injured at Louisville House Fire

Louisville Fire Department crews were dispatched to the 2700 block of Howard Street on multiple reports of a fire in a vacant structure. Fire crews arrived on scene in two minutes to find heavy smoke and fire coming from a single-story dwelling. Firefighters quickly made entry, searched the home and removed one adult occupant, while working to extinguish the blaze. Outside crews deployed exposure lines to protect neighboring property. It took 30 firefighters approximately 12 minutes to bring the fire undercontrol. The individual rescued was transported to a local hospital by LMEMS. The incident caused significant damage throughout the structure. Neighboring property was not damaged. LFD Arson Investigators worked to determine the cause. - Photo courtesy of Louisville Division of Fire

Page 10, Fire News, July/August 2022

Carinto Building … Really into It!

On June 4, 2022, the Madisonville Fire Department received an alarm from Central Dispatch fora vehicle versus apartment building MVAat the intersection of Noel and Pride Avenues. Fire crews found Madisonville Police units on scene and an SUVsitting completely inside of an apartment on Pride Avenue. Battalion 1 made entry through a window to check forpotential injured occupants. The driverof the SUVwas the only occupant of the vehicle and was able to get out of the vehicle and apartment on his own. The occupants of the apartment were upstairs asleep when the accident happened and were able to exit. One of the occupants were taken to Baptist Health by Medical Center Ambulance Service. Fire crew turned the gas off to the structure and assessed the structural integrity of the building. Fire crews remained on-scene until the vehicle was removed from the structure by a wreckerservice. - Photos courtesy of John S. Dunning, Fire Chief, MFD

Patches

Clay City Fire Department. - Submitted by Major Lisa Johnson

Hazard Tractor-TrailerMVA

The Hazard Fire Department responded to South Kentucky Highway 15, at the entrance to Hardee’s, foran overturned tractor trailer. - Photo courtesy of Hazard FD

Looking Back

Louisville - 2021

On August 6, 2021, at 0536, Louisville Fire Department crews were dispatched to a structure fire on Logan Street. Companies arrived within three minutes to find heavy fire coming from a vacant two-story dwelling, with an occupied exposure building located to the south. Firefighters rescued two adult occupants. - Fire News photos courtesy Louisville Division of Fire

Page 16, Fire News, July/August 2022

Henderson WaterRescue Drills

Henderson Fire Department crews drilled on waterrescue operations recently. - Photos courtesy of Henderson FD

Madisonville Extrication Training

Madisonville firefighters held vehicle extrication drills, at the Mark Boaz Regional Training Centerrecently. - Photos courtesy of Madisonville FD

WaterSupply Class

On May 12, 2022, the Westwood VolunteerFire Department attended a watersupply class on using the rearintake of their2022 Freightliner Rosenbauer, 1500-gpm, 1800-gallon Pumper/ Tanker. The rearintake is a six-inch low level strainerwith 2800-gallon fold-a-tank. - Submitted by Brent Webster, Fire Chief

Helicopter Training forClay City

Juniorfirefighters from the Clay City Fire Department training with a helicopterprop. - Submitted by Major Lisa J. Johnson