The Nature and Background of the Emergency Response - Article Analysis Essay

Introduction

This article presents local law enforcement emergency response following two acts of public violence; the terrorist attacks which occurred in San Bernardino and the Pulse nightclub witnessed at Orlando, Florida. According to Straub, Zeunik and Gorban (2017), the two events are associated with Islamist extremist ideology, which ended up claiming the lives of 63 people and leaving 75 others injured. The incidences shocked the law enforcement officials besides most the communities in the whole country. Straub, Zeunik and Gorban (2017) argue that both the instances involved the investigators, patrol and traffic officers, and command personnel who do not fall among the tactical teams, were the first law to arrive at the scene. The respective law enforcement teams encountered unimaginable devastation and chaos, involving overwhelming sounds, sights, and smells of the human tragedy. They had a lot to at their arrival as the victims were begging for help, people were dying, and others were already killed by the terrorists. enhanced

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Straub, Zeunik and Gorban (2017) suggested that a similar form of response would be experienced in the future attacks. This follows the analysis of the initial response following the first arrival by the less tactical law enforcement team units. The reaction of the enforcement teams on their arrival involved the need for judgment calls in the extremely difficult and volatile circumstances. Straub, Zeunik and Gorban (2017) recognized the need for well-developed, well-defined, and responding officers equipped with emergency practice protocols. These strategies were necessary for effective performance during the tragic events. Besides, Straub, Zeunik and Gorban (2017) recognized the vital lessons that have been learned. The article appears to cover the terrorist attacks with the emphasis on most appropriate approaches to emergency responses in the event of such unexpected shootings. The article aims t outlining an emergency response team can confront attackers armed with explosive devices and high-powered weapons or those merely claiming to have arms. On this note, the article includes suggestion based on some proper traditional practices required to be enhanced and realigned to improve the extent of survivability of victims. Besides, a similar measure will be used to ensure that the first responders are sure of safety hence making it relatively easy for them to operate even if the complication of the given threat environment might increase.

Emergency Management Terms in the Article

The article covered emergency management response and is reflected by the use of the related terms by the author. The most used term which would be one of the considerable keywords is emergency. The authors recognized that the incidents were emergencies since the shootings occurred when people could not imagine the same. Besides, the authors also used the term to show the required form of reaction that was necessary to react to the terrorist actions in the given regions (Habibzadeh, 2016). The threat was also another emergency management term used in the article. The terrorists were a threat to the populations which they attacked making their lives to be in danger. Their actions could also threaten the lives of the first responders at the scenes.

Management was used to refer to the combination of relative measures before, during and after the occurrence of such a terrorist attack. A proper disaster management approach was necessary when the officers realized that the shootings were going on at the identified places. Moreover, mitigation was a term important outlining how to react to reduce the effects of the terrorist attack. Proper methods are necessary to neutralize the injuries which would occur to the population under attack. The other term which also appeared to be very important in the article is response/responders. The focus of the article was to show how the teams reached the scenes and begin their reaction mechanisms. The authors were interested in showing how the first units reacted following the shootings (Gibbs, 2017). The authors of the articles were also interested in imagining the best course of the reaction in such an incident. The article indicates that the first responders were not experienced enough to carry out the task for which intended to accomplish.

Alternative Courses of Action

The response to the situation was not much effective owing to the less tactful officers who made the initial response to the situation. Some alternative course of action can, therefore, be suggested in such an incident. For instance, emergency departments should embrace and practice some traditional practices which are expected to increase the chances of the survival of the victims. Besides, such practices may guarantee the safety of the first responders in an incident which has already been dominated by terrorists (Habibzadeh, 2016). Another way to respond to the situation is to organize attacks from a significant distance to scare the terrorists. This is important because, in the given attacks, the terrorists were targeting the officers who reached the incident first.

According to Gibbs (2017), attacking from a safe distance would ensure they stay safe even if some perpetrators were having suicide bombs. The same strategy would also influence the terrorists to diverge from the central point of attack hence reducing their strength of the attack. Consequently, the officers would have an easy time capturing or killing them. Furthermore, the emergency department should officers who together and are familiar with each other camp together. This would be important in case there is a need to organize a uniform of attack.

The Impact of Emergency Management in Relation to the Article

The officers were able to reach the point of incidents in time, however, they were in a position to react effectively to the situation. This is because the first responders lacked the standard reaction skills to such a disaster hence the emergency management did not impact positively to both the officers and the victims of attack (Talbott, 2013). Most of the victims who were already shot were bleeding but could not be helped since the officers who intervened in the situation lacked the required training for the same. Apart from training, they lacked the necessary equipment to help them manage the pains and wounds of the victims. Although some of the victims were removed safely, the reaction was not properly accomplished since the terrorist overwhelmed the first responders for a considerable period (Talbott, 2013).

The Overall Outcome of the Situation

Many victims were injured in the incident and many died even after the first responders arrived at the scene. The officers were not organized enough to accomplish a proper reaction mechanism to stop and kill the terrorists in the region. The emergency response however eventually helped in saving a few victims when the officers were able to shoot some of the terrorists. The occurrence was very important to the emergency departments since they noted some of the weaknesses of the responders and learnt how to react to a similar incident. Nevertheless, the incident can be used to deduce that similar failures may be witnessed in the future attacks (Gibbs, 2017).

References

Gibbs, J. (2017). Terrorist attacks targeting the police: the connection to foreign military presence. Police Practice and Research, 19(3), 222-240. Doi: 10.1080/15614263.2017.1295245

Habibzadeh, P. (2016). Psychopathic teamwork: lessons learned from recent terrorist attacks. Irish Journal Of Medical Science (1971 -), 186(1), 189-189. Doi: 10.1007/s11845-016-1415-9

Straub, F., Zeunik, J., & Gorban, B. (2017). Lessons Learned from the Police Response to the San Bernardino and Orlando Terrorist Attacks. Combating Terrorism Center At West Point, 10(5). Retrieved from https://ctc.usma.edu/lessons-learned-from-the-police-response-to-the-san-bernardino-and-orlando-terrorist-attacks/

Talbott, J. (2013). Lessons Learned From the New York State Mental Health Response to the September 11, 2001, Attacks. Yearbook Of Psychiatry And Applied Mental Health, 2013, 256-257. Doi: 10.1016/j.ypsy.2011.11.001