Critical Incident

Management Planning

Senior Detective Bruce Hurley

Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles

Office of Investigation

Topics of discussion

• History of the plan

• Development of the plan

• Definition of a Critical Incident

• Management responsibilities

• Notification System

• Management Training

• Employee Training

• Post Incident actions

• FOIA Considerations

Critical Incident Management Plan.

“CIMP”

It’s the Times We Live In Today…

• Terrorist Attacks

• Disgruntled Customers

• Disgruntled/Discharged

Employees

• Domestic Violence Issues

Employees

Where did the idea come from?

• After Columbine, Virginia Tech, Connecticut

Lottery, etc incidents the Office of Investigation

drafted an Employee safety plan and presented it

to the Secretary of State.

• Office of Investigation was charged with

developing and implementing a plan for Motor

Vehicle Employees.

• In 2010 a plan was developed and implemented.

What is the objective?

To produce Critical Incident safety plan to

provide Employees with the tools they need

to SURVIVE a workplace critical incident.

Workplace violence

Active shooter situations

Bomb threats

Chemical attacks

Plan Development

• Identify assets and vulnerabilities within the facility and

surrounding grounds. (Main office and branches).

• Identify employee assets/vulnerabilities.

• Communication system. How to communicate an alert.

• Identify responsibilities for management and

employees.

• Management and employee training. When and how

often?

• Post Incident actions

• Protection of the plan. FOIA requests.

Employees need to be familiar with facility:

Floors they are on

Safe rooms (Confidential markings)

Exits

Exterior FLOOR NUMBERS

West Door East Door

South Door North Door

What is a Critical Incident?

• Situation having the potential for

– Injury or death to employees and public

and/or

– Major disruptions in business activities

THROUGH VIOLENCE

3 Notification Levels

THE THREE LEVELS ARE CODED BY

COLOR AND BY NUMBER

LEVEL ONE

LEVEL TWO

LEVEL THREE

Level One

• Low potential for harm

– For example, unarmed hostile subject

– Verbal threats or intimidation of staffers

– Suspicious packages

Level Two

• Actual acts of violence

– Assault on a person (no weapons)

– Bomb threats

(Unconfirmed/Unreliable)

– Chemical agent (Unknown Origin)

Level Three

• Armed (Potentially violent) person in

the building

• Bomb threat confirmed and/or a high

probability

• Chemical / Explosives confirmed

• This plan is not for

– Fire Alarms

– Medical Emergencies

FIRE

ALARM

AMBULANCE

CALL

The Manual

The Manual Cont.

WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF THE INCIDENT?

LEVEL ONE

UNARMED, HOSTILE SUBJECT IN ISOLATED PUBLIC AREA;

VERBAL

THREATS OR INTIMIDATION; POTENTIAL FOR ESCALATION;

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGES;

[NO CAUSE TO LOCK DOWN THE BUILDING]

LEVEL TWO

ASSAULT IN PROGRESS OR IMMEDIATE ACT OF VIOLENCE;

BOMB OR

CHEMICAL AGENT THREAT

[POSSIBLE LOCK DOWN OR EVACUATION TO SAFE AREA]

LEVEL THREE

ARMED PERSON, CONFIRMED EXPLOSIVE OR CHEMICAL

AGENT

[LOCK DOWN OR GO TO SAFE ROOMS]

The Manual Cont.

LEVEL TWO INCIDENT

MAKE NOTIFICATION

USING THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM NOTIFY THE

PERSONNEL IN THE AFFECTED AREA

SECONDARY NOTIFICATION TO ALL PERSONNEL IN THE

BUILDING

GO TO

The Manual Cont.

CALL EMERGENCY SERVICES

9-911

GO TO

The Manual Cont.

MY NAME IS [GIVE YOUR NAME]. I AM AT

101 HOSPITAL STREET, THE BUREAU OF

MOTOR VEHICLES. WE HAVE A

[DESCRIBE THE EMERGENCY] IN THE

[PART OF THE BUILDING] AT THIS OFFICE.

• STAY ON THE LINE WITH THE

EMERGENCY DISPATCH

UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF

POLICE/FIRE.

Critical Incident Notification

(CIMP)

• The second part of the CIMP system is a

notification program loaded on every BMV

desktop computer

• It is installed in every computer system

within the Motor Vehicle main office, all

computers in the Motor Vehicle branch

offices and the Secretary of State’s Office

The Desktop Notification System

• The program runs automatically when the

computer is turned on.

• The program runs in the background of the

computer and it cannot be disabled by the

user.

Notification System

Notification System

Notification System

Notification System

Notification System

Notifications employees may

Receive

• Those affecting only Main Office

• Those affecting all BMV

• Those affecting a particular Branch

The Desktop Notification

• Will open on the employee computer

screen.

• Employee job is to do what it says!

The notification will tell the

employee

• WHAT to do….

• WHERE to go…..

LEVEL 1

ALERT SCREEN

LEVEL 2

ALERT SCREEN

LEVEL 3

ALERT SCREEN

Employee Training

Discussions

• Cover

• Concealment

• Lockdown

• Safe Rooms

• Evacuation

Cover and Concealment

• Cover WILL stop a bullet

• Concealment WON’T stop a bullet

Cover is…

• Anything that cannot be penetrated

by a bullet

• Anything solid that you can get

under or behind

–For example a concrete wall

COVER

Concealment is..

Anything that will hide you!

Under a desk

Restroom

Cubicle area

Janitor closet

… when the time comes, concealment

is always better than being out in the

open!

People in violent situations have saved

their lives by simply hiding

Lesson Learned

• Situations unfold very quickly

• The person who goes into a building with

a gun is not someone you can reason with

• Their goal is to do as much damage as

possible in a short period of time.

Lessons Learned

Studies of many workplace and school

violence incidents showed that the

people who got out of sight did not

become a statistic.

LOCKDOWN

• SECURE ALL PERIMETER DOORS

• PERSONNEL LEAVE WORK

STATIONS

• UTILIZE DESIGNATED SAFE

ROOMS

“ONLY” IF it is safe to do so!

SAFE ROOMS

ROOMS THAT HAVE BEEN

IDENTIFIED AS HAVING

LOCKABLE DOORS THAT CAN BE

SECURED FROM WITHIN

TO DETER AN AGGRESSOR

Safe Rooms

• A room where you can barricade

yourself

• Preferably a locking solid door

• In BMV, most safe designated

rooms have a telephone in them

• Silence cell phones

Push

Button

Lock

Why a Safe Room?

• 21 March 2005 Beltrami County, MN High School

• 17 yr old. killed 10 wounded 7. Pistol and shotgun

of grandfather’s after killing him and girlfriend

• In the school less than 10 minutes

• When cornered by police, he shot himself

• One Teacher stated the “he tried to come into the

classroom, the door was locked, so he moved on”

Why lock doors?

• 16 April 2007 college in Blacksburg VA

• 23 yr old male killed 32..two handguns…a .22 cal

and a 9MM

• Stalking female students, treated for mental

disorders

• Two hours after the first shooting entered a

building a chained the doors closed and continued

to shoot students and faculty.

• Fired a total of 174 rounds.

• Students barricaded a door, gunman attempted

entry, did not enter, shot through the door no

entry, then left.

Once you are in a Safe Room

• STAY THERE!

– Until a RECOGNIZED authority tells

you otherwise

• CALL 911

In the SAFE ROOM

• Put whatever is available in front of

the door

– Desks

– Furniture

– Chairs

– File Cabinets

THEN…

• STAY AWAY FROM THE SIGHT

LINE OF THE DOOR

• MAKE YOURSELF AS SMALL A

TARGET AS YOU CAN

What is the Sight Line?

WHERE you are in the room is critical…

DOOR

SIGHT LINES

SAFEST

ZONE

EVACUATION

• DIRECTING ALL PERSONNEL

TO LEAVE THE BUILDING:

– BY THE CLOSEST EXITS

– BY EXITS that are designated IN

THE MESSAGE BASED ON THE

EXISTING THREAT LOCATION

During an evacuation

• DO NOT go to a designated area

near the building

• DO NOT take your vehicle

• GO QUICKLY and as far as

possible

Evacuation Distances

When leaving the building

• If you meet a police officer or other

emergency personnel

– Do exactly what emergency personnel

tells you to do.

– Hands up, clear the area

– Command Post

Customers

• Assist the customers in going to safe

rooms or evacuating

“ONLY” When you can do so without

putting you or other employees in

danger.

Escape

• Always be aware of escape routes

– Pre-plan for emergency

• Notify BMV

management of your

status as soon as possible once you

are in a safe place

Post Incident

• Convene the Critical Incident Management

Team

• Delegate point(s) of contact for Law

enforcement, maintenance, personnel, etc.

• Plan the continuation of business

• Media issues/Public Information

• Personnel issues Workers Comp, EAP, etc.

• Building security/damage

Freedom of Information Act

This material is considered to be

Confidential

and should not be discussed with

anyone outside the workplace.

Freedom Of Information FOIA

• Check with state lawmakers in making

the plan exempt from FOIA

• It is an Employee safety issue

CIMP

Open

Discussion