I attended the BOMA/Suburban Chicago's Emergency Preparedness Event at College of DuPage Homeland Security Training Institute on September 6, 2018. Over 50 BOMA/Suburban Chicago members attended the event as well.

After a hearty breakfast, we were welcomed by Thomas Brady, Associate Dean/Director of the Homeland Security Training Institute. He previously served in the US Postal Inspection Service for 26 years; Inspector in Charge Washington Division - Amerithrax Investigation; Deputy Chief Inspector Western Field Operations; Inspector in Charge Chicago Division - Former Governor Rod Blagojevich Investigation; and he has a BA in Psychology and MS in Integrated Homeland Security Management.

The Homeland Security Training Institute was established in 2013. It includes Continuing Education for customers, including: Police Officers; Fire Fighters; Emergency Managers; Private Sector Global Security Employees; Suburban Law Enforcement Academy; and Community Members. 

The SSG Robert Miller Homeland Security Education Center

The SSG Robert Miller Homeland Security Education Center was opened in September 2011. It is 66,940 square feet and a LEEDS Certified Facility. The Education Center is home to Fire Science credit programs, Suburban Law Enforcement Academy, Tactical Training Environments, and the COD Police Department. 

Also included in the Homeland Security Educational Center is a Street Scene where students practice Emergency Medical Services, Fire Fighter Services, among other professions. The students practice with fire trucks, ambulances, ladders, etc. The Street Scene was recently upgraded to include new acoustics to eliminate objectionable sounds from transmitting into adjoining classrooms.

The Homeland Security Training Institute

The Homeland Security Training Institute building opened in August 2015. It is 39,714 square feet and a LEEDS Certified Facility. The building contains a live fire range, decision-making simulators and a 9-1-1 Dispatch Operator Laboratory. The classroom and office construction are standard steel frame with bar joist roof and metal stud drywall and metal panel exterior walls. The range roof is constructed with 100 ft. clear span double tee precast concrete. The range walls are constructed of 10" thick insulated precast concrete with all panel joints covered with ¼" thick steel plates to prevent projectile penetration. The concrete floor joints are sealed to prevent buildup of gun powder residue and potential fires. Unfortunately, we were not able to fire any weapons in the fire range area.

The Decision-Making Simulation Training includes a Virtra V300 Simulator, TI Training Simulator, Milo Range Pro and Miles System. The simulators are uniquely equipped to train officers to handle the most difficult real-world situations. Real-life incident scenarios are crafted by experts to heavily test the trainee's critical thinking skills, firearms skills and psychological preparations for close quarter combat. Some attendees were able to try out the simulators, and what an eye-opening experience they had. 

Jen Cook, Everest Snow Management, Inc.

James Hess, Cushman & Wakefield

About the Author: Kim DeFily, RPA, is a Portfolio Manager for American Landmark Properties. She serves on the Board of Directors for BOMA/Suburban Chicago and is the Board Liaison for the Emergency Preparedness Committee. She can be reached at k.defily@americanlandmark.com. 

What if I told you that there is technology available to your property right now that can detect a gunshot and immediately notify the police? Gunshot detection technology is not the only innovative technology available to you for active threat detection. Companies around the world are rapidly developing new technology such as updated mass notification systems, and smart building integration tools to help you better prepare your facilities for active threats.

As written about in past BOMA/Suburban Chicago Emergency Preparedness Month articles, companies such as Everbridge have created systems that can help you and your team immediately notify building occupants of various emergency situations occurring on or around your property. In implementing this type of system, template messages can be created to be sent out to active users depending on the specific emergencies via email, text message, smartphone apps, etc. Further, smartphone apps can be utilized to store emergency evacuation routes for your building, as well as a personal duress button for any registered user of the application that you choose.

One of the more recent developments in mass notification systems is BluePoint Alert pull stations. This system works in a similar manner to a fire alarm pull station, in that it is a device that can be activated and immediately alert first responders to active threats in progress. In coordination with local police, the system is being adopted in schools and healthcare facilities throughout the country. However, the BluePoint system can be a useful tool for commercial and industrial facilities as well. The creators have made the system easy to implement as many of the applications can be wireless, thus removing the need for costly infrastructure installations. More info about this system can be found at www.bluepointalert.com.

 

Gunshot Detection Systems

One of the biggest challenges that arise from Active Shooter emergencies is the average time each incident lasts: five minutes or less. This means that the incident is usually over by the time first responders arrive onsite or, in some cases, before first responders are even notified. Gunshot detection systems are designed to detect and locate gunshots instantaneously and (application dependent) immediately alert first responders. This system works in the same way that most fire alarm control panels are designed to immediately notify the Fire Department upon activation of a fire alarm.

Systems such as the Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System utilize multiple methods of detection to confirm an active shooter emergency. It first uses acoustic sensors to detect the sound of the bullet as it passes through the air, and the sound of the weapon when it fires the projectile. To reduce false alarms, the second detection method is of the infrared flash that is produced upon the exit of the bullet from the gun. In addition to instantaneously notifying authorities, it can also be integrated with other building systems such as your elevator management system to automatically recall all elevators to another location in the building, away from the location of the gunshot. More info on the Guardian system can be found at www.shooterdetectionsystems.com/indoor-detection/.

 

Smart Building Technology

The Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon has contributed to rapidly improving technologies that enhance the overall experience of building occupants and also making the building itself more efficient. This advent is now also enhancing the safety and security of buildings and their occupants. This can be evidenced by the ever-growing integration of Building Automated Systems (BAS) with security and life safety systems. Integrations of access control, video management, and emergency communications have already contributed to an improved level of safety and security throughout many properties. BAS integration can take that to another level by allowing lighting and HVAC to be triggered on or off to thwart an active threat. For example, smart lighting systems can quickly turn off all lighting in areas where occupants are locked down. Additionally, the motion sensors of those light systems can immediately track the movement of the shooter in dimly-lit areas at night. This integration can also lead to better energy-efficiency as access control systems can help determine when lighting or HVAC systems may not be needed for certain unoccupied areas of buildings.

About the Author: Jason Sikora is the Business Development Manager for SOS Security. Jason has over 12 years of experience in the security industry and is the former Director of Security & Life Safety for various properties in downtown and suburban Chicago. Jason is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) through ASIS International and a past recipient of the Illinois Security Professional Association Chairman's Award. He is an active member of ASIS Chicago, BOMA Chicago's Preparedness Committee, BOMA/Suburban Chicago's Emergency Preparedness Committee, Illinois Security Professionals Association, STIC, and is the founder and former Vice Chair of the O'Hare Area Property Managers group. Jason can be reached at jsikora@sossecurity.com. 

I've been asked several times, during my tenure on the Emergency Preparedness Committee, if there is a "comprehensive national standard" for what is now correctly referred to as "Active Threat" response, covering pre-incident planning and mitigation, all the way through an incident to post-incident recovery. Until recently, my answer was somewhat mixed, referencing FEMA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources, along with several others, but always feeling as if those were all "just short" of a truly comprehensive "playbook." 

On May 1st, 2018, the NFPA released such a standard, NFPA 3000™ (PS), Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program. 

Terminology: Active Shooter vs. Active Threat
For the last twenty years or so, as workplace and school violence incidents garnered more and more media exposure, those incidents often involved the use of firearms by the perpetrators, and the term "Active Shooter" was used to describe the incident and/or assailant(s).

 However, in the past several years, mass casualty incidents have seen a rise in the use of tools other than firearms. Vehicle-ramming, knife attacks, explosives, as well as the use of chemical and biological agents has led to a change in terminology, using "Active Threat" to cover a variety of mass casualty scenarios.

Why the Lack of a National Standard?
The question then arises why there was no prior national standard; why hadn't a Federal Government agency provided one? In my opinion, it was a mix of a lack of a clear mandate for any one agency to undertake such a task, competing agency interests, and just plain old "bureaucratic red tape."

 A few simple examples can help illustrate the point. The FBI is responsible for investigating and solving crimes, not directly promulgating standards. OSHA is responsible for workplace safety standards, but may otherwise not take a comprehensive approach to mass casualty incidents, which would require coordinating law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, and post-incident recovery measures. FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security provide invaluable resources regarding Active Threat incidents, but may not deeply address topics such as "Hospital Preparedness" or post-incident victim assistance, such as mental health counseling or "Monetary Donation Management."

Enter the NFPA. Who is the NFPA?
Better known for fire safety codes, The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a global nonprofit organization, established in 1896, devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards.

Why the NFPA?
After the Pulse Nightclub massacre in June of 2016, Chief Otto Drozd of Orange County Fire in Florida requested that NFPA develop a standard to help authorities come together and create a well-defined, cohesive plan that works to minimize harm and maximize resiliency. NFPA responded by establishing the NFPA Technical Committee on Cross Functional Emergency Preparedness and Response. In mid-April, NFPA 3000 was issued by the NFPA Standards Council, making it the first consensus document related to active shooter and hostile events. 

The 46-member Technical Committee responsible for NFPA 3000 is NFPA's largest startup Committee, to date, with representation from law enforcement, the fire service, emergency medical services, hospitals, emergency management, private security, private business, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice, and many more. Committee members provided job-specific insight and real world observations from mass killings at Mandalay Bay Resort, Pulse Nightclub, Sandy Hook Elementary, the Sikh Temple, the Boston Marathon, and other less publicized events.

Some have asked why NFPA would be the organization to develop an active shooter standard. "For more than a century, NFPA has facilitated a respected consensus process that has produced some of the most widely used codes and standards in the world including more than 100 that impact first responders. Our purview goes far beyond our fire safety efforts as evidenced by our ongoing work to address new hazards with professionals in public safety, emergency management, community risk, electrical services, the energy sector, engineering, the chemical and industrial industries, healthcare, manufacturing, research, the government, and the built environment. The recent increase in active shooter incidents and the fire service involvement in them warranted NFPA's standards development expertise, and the timely development of NFPA 3000," NFPA President and CEO Jim Pauley said.

NFPA 3000: The Standard
NFPA 3000 marks only the second time in NFPA's 122-year history that they have issued a provisional standard. Provisional standards are developed in an expedited process to address an emergency situation or other special circumstance.

The scope of this standard is limited to the necessary functions and actions related to preparedness, response, and recovery from an active shooter/hostile event response (ASHER). This standard applies to any community, authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), facility, and member of any organization who responds to or prepares for ASHER incidents.

The standard was written with all responders in mind, regardless of whether they are from large or small organizations, municipal or rural communities; all were well-represented by the vast number and diversity of the committee members. Active shooter and hostile events are dynamic and have not been prejudice to a jurisdiction's size or complexity. 

NFPA 3000 helps entire communities organize, manage, communicate, and sustain an active shooter/hostile event preparedness, response, and recovery program; really all aspects of the process, from identifying hazards and assessing vulnerability to planning, resource management, incident management at a command level, competencies for first responders, and recovery.

Read NFPA 300 here: NFPA 3000™ (PS), Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program.

The Takeaways
In addition to offering NFPA 3000 via a new digital subscription - which will be updated automatically when the next edition becomes available - NFPA is offering an Online Training Series (the first of three courses are available now); a downloadable checklist; a readiness assessment document; and fact sheet to learn more about establishing a proactive, collaborative active shooter/hostile event program. Learn more about the program. 

The true takeaway, however, is to just start - start educating yourself and your staff by taking advantage of the tremendous depth of resources available. While NFPA 3000 strives to set the national standard, other resources should be reviewed and incorporated, where appropriate. Continue to utilize the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, the FBI and Secret Service resources, in addition to State of Illinois and County resources. The more comprehensive, the better!

About the Author: Michael Guzan is the Director of Compliance and Audit for MidCo Inc. He earned a joint MBA/Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago in 2003. Michael is the Chair of BOMA/Suburban Chicago's Emergency Preparedness Committee and the current Treasurer for the Chicago Chapter of ASIS International, and is a member of the Chicago, Illinois, and American Bar Associations. Michael can be reached at mdguzan@midcosystems.com.