The first call to 911
occurred that Friday morning at 9:35am.
The students and teachers did all they could to
survive. The concept of “Run.
Hide. Fight.” was implemented as best as possible in the horrific chaos for
those who had an option. Furthermore,
law enforcement and medical response was immediate.
Observations and
Lessons - Immediate Response:
With incidents such as this, text messages and social media
will be glowing with activity. At the
same time, depending on the venue, 911 centers may be inundated with calls for
assistance. Please note the following
·
Many 911 centers, including Norfolk, do not yet
have the ability to receive text messages; this capability should be operational
later this year.
·
If you are calling 911 and receive a recorded
message, don’t hang up!
·
If you are vulnerable to the threat, silence
your phone!
When law enforcement arrives, do what they say! Do not expect them to stop to assist you;
rather, their sole focus is eliminating the threat – or multiple threats - in
order to stop the killing.
If you are a survivor of the incident but are injured, or
someone around you is injured, you can make a difference in saving a life. CPR
may be one way. Also, Norfolk
Fire-Rescue offers ‘Stop The Bleed’
training, designed to share simple techniques to stop bleeding from
gunshots and other types of wounds learned in the battlefield. Both CPR and Stop the Bleed training can be
scheduled by calling the Norfolk Cares Call Center at 757-664-6510.
Information. There
was fear and confusion – not just within the school, but outside as well as it
appeared parents did not know where to go for information. Certainly time is needed to truly assess the
situation before information can be provided, efforts can be made to support
this effort. Norfolk Police will work
with Norfolk Public Schools to account for all the children: those still at the
scene and those who may have been able to run away to safety. Additionally, agencies such as Norfolk Police
and Norfolk Fire-Rescue will have Public Information Officers (PIO’s) on
scene. If this incident were a public school,
Norfolk Public Schools would have a PIO dispatched as well. Team Norfolk has additional PIO’s who make up
the Joint Information Center (JIC) who can also be assigned to assist with information
dissemination. Every effort will be made
to provide those affected, and the entire community, with timely, accurate,
actionable and accessible information.
One way to do this for the families is to establish a family
reunification center.
As the scene may still be active, or now a crime scene, the
Incident Commander will identify an appropriate location for family members to
go to receive information on their loved ones.
This is where the NPD and NF-R Public Information Officers will to
provide you information, to include whether your child is safe, where your
loved one may have been transported for treatment, or worse. In any case, the plan if for those affected
to have someone available at any time who will provide information and answer
questions, as well as offer comfort and compassion, the entire time.
Recovery
As was apparent throughout the entire film, grief counseling
is crucial. It was painful to watch one
father explain his need to know what his child experienced, what they thought,
saw and heard, during the last seconds of their life, “while being murdered, by
a gunman, in his first grade classroom.”
Another parent expressed his inability to tell his surviving son “don’t
worry, it’s going to be ok,” because his son’s response was “that’s what you
said to Ben.” Grief counseling cannot
just be for parents, however. Nor should
it be limited to students and teachers.
It should include everyone involved.
This includes the siblings of the deceased, the school staff and
administration – all who knew and otherwise came into contact with the victims
on a regular basis, the traditional first responders ( 911, police, fire and
medical), as well as those receiving the victims at the hospital(s), those
offering emotional and spiritual support, and more. Response fatigue, survivor’s guilt and
critical incident stress are very real threats requiring inclusion in response
plans.
How do you talk with children about what they witnessed or
heard? The gun shots… the screams… the
blood… and that people with whom they were close will never come back? Some of us from a particular generation might
turn to the comforting words of Mr. Fred
Rogers as he emphasizes the fact our children can talk with us about
anything, and that “We will do all we can to keep them safe in any scary time.” More so, however, professional will be
brought on scene to provide the necessary care and otherwise ensure these needs
are met. That said, I don’t suspect one can
ever fully get over the loss of a child, sibling or parent.
Next Steps
There is much that goes into keeping the children in our
community safe. This includes taking
steps to ensure controlled access to school facilities, documentation of
potential warning signs, and the planning, training and exercises which occur
on a regular basis between Norfolk Public Schools (and many other
institutions), public safety agencies and many more Team Norfolk partner
organizations. Every parent has a role
as well: get to know your school’s plan.
Furthermore, since an active threat can occur anywhere, know how you
would respond. Complete Free FEMA Training: IS-907: Active
Shooter: What You Can Do at https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-907 , get familiar
with the Run. Hide. Fight.
video developed by ReadyHouston and practice it at work, school and your place
of worship. Lastly, remember taking
steps to increase awareness and preparedness now will help minimize chaos,
confusion and fear during an actual incident.
I want to thank Ms. Snyder for making this important film and
the parents to whom my heart goes out; I’m committed to learning the
lessons from their grief. They have unknowingly made
an impactful difference in our community’s plans.
Sincerely,
Jim
Director, Norfolk EOC
james.redick@norfolk.gov
Director, Norfolk EOC
james.redick@norfolk.gov
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