Preparedness to interdict in a hostile event is purpose of Rescue Task Force course at NCC
Learning how to carry out a unified response by Fire, Rescue, Law Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services personnel to an active hostile incident was the goal of a Rescue Task Force – Hostile Event Interdiction course held March 10, 11 and 12 at Northwest Iowa Community College (NCC) in Sheldon. Over 20 responders, many of them local, participated in a three-part active shooter exercise conducted on Saturday. This is the only such course to be held in Iowa during 2021.
The instructors for the course were from the Government Training Institute in Barnwell, SC. Scott Usry is Training Director and Anthony Mitchell is Lead Tactical Instructor. “This is one of our premier classes,” noted Usry. “In Iowa we usually do three or four classes per year, normally in the summer. This class got pushed to this time of year due to COVID. Emergency Management Agencies in Iowa coined a way to do these classes. It should be a model for the other states.”
The class was developed in coordination with and calls on the expertise of the Orange County Fire Department. The county of 500 square miles is situated in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. Each class normally has a representative from the Department. Filling that role here was Brian Roberts, Department Battalion Chief. The Department handles about 150,000 calls per year to report a threatening situation outside of the normal fire emergency. “After Columbine there was a need for cooperation between law enforcement and medical responders,” said Roberts. “As for our intent and purpose, the title (Rescue Task Force) says it all. Different elements put together with the main intent to get treatment to the people of the community quicker than it had been done.”
The preparedness of state and local law enforcement, fire, rescue and emergency medical services is one of the major initiatives of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Participants in the class at NCC learned the tactics, techniques and procedures specific to a unified small group response as a rescue task force during the interdiction phase of a terrorist-driven, active shooter or any active hostile incident.
The three-day curriculum included daily practical exercises as well as written exams. The course is the response to a neutralized or mitigated incident where students learn to unify as a rescue task force and conduct force protection while setting up casualty collection points as an integrated response.
Usry noted that an active shooter incident will likely result in casualties who will need medical attention. He said the class will train participants to “set up a safe corridor that allows our First Responders to provide medical attention that a mass casualty threat calls for. The call will come out for an active shooter. We will try to suppress the threat (hot area) by creating a warm area protected by guns facing out from the corridor.” Usry said the corridor that is created facilitates the safer access of Emergency Medical Services personnel to treat the casualties and get them to enhanced medical care.
Neal Gross, Shelby County Sheriff, was one of the members of the law enforcement community who traveled to Sheldon to participate in the class. “I think the training is important to people to prepare for the worst possibility there could be and to train together and then take it back to our own departments,” said Gross. “NCC is amazing and very generous to offer their facilities. It’s nice to have this facility to present a very accurate location for this type of training.” Usry commented that it really speaks well of the college to be able to host this three-day event while students are present on campus.
John Hartog, NCC Vice President of Student and Academic Services, shared these thoughts: “NCC has always taken the health, wellness and safety of our students very seriously. NCC earned an A+ in safety from Niche.com and this is the second time NCC has been ranked as the Safest College in Iowa by stateuniversity.com. We are very alert to safety on campus and as a campus community are continually assessing and discussing best practices and exploring strategies we can implement to make the campus the safest we can for students, employees and visitors alike. Working with area law enforcement officials for continued rescue task force training is just one way we improve the safety not only of our campus, but our area communities as well. This is just one great example of how NCC is fulfilling our mission to the communities we serve.”
Usry noted that “The biggest thing for commanders and coordinators is the level of cooperation it takes.” He added, “Without training you lose the fundamentals. There is a lot of turnover among the responders and tactics change. Protect and serve our community is what’s behind this. It sounds cliché but that’s what we’re here to do.”