Organizational Disaster: A Plan Assessment

While reminiscing of the horrifying and deadly school shooting in the Columbine, Colorado disaster; the police were called and rushed to the scene. Much like the poor outline for a search and destroy of assailants, the police reacted as if each of them were individual superheroes. There were many arguments that the police department could have limited some of the fatalities if they had a proper plan of action and communicative response team that would have allowed them to alert other officers on scene of potential hazardous situations. Sadly enough, followed by an astronomical number of high fatality school shootings, there has been almost a solid decade that has passed since a strategic plan of action has been re-implemented. This new outline, which fell short during the Virginia Tech disaster, now has first responders (police officers), along with state and federal law enforcement agencies enforcing a (4) four man recon team that is mandated as Rules of Engagement during a school shooting.

This four man team is actually what many SWAT, military, and other tactical search teams implement during a crisis intervention. Basically, four officers enter a building or structure that is under-siege, and they position themselves with their backs centered to each other, while standing next to each other in a (90) degree angle. They are there to have an open line of communication with the “mobile” command center (which is generally located several miles away from the point of attack, to prevent a break down in the chain of command, should another attack occur. They are also there to search the school for potential survivors while maintaining surveillance of any suspected shooters. The current general rules for engagement here (also known as the strategic plan), are to shoot and kill any possible terrorists, foreign and domestic.

Shoot first, ask questions later – this maybe a harsh assessment in this sort of situation; however, when public safety is an issue; the few will not outweigh the many. In comparison to a disastrous earthquake that crumbles many infrastructures, – many people, who have already experienced similar unearthed attacks, are ready for the aftershock. Sometimes, the best defense is little or no offense; and not the other way around. When implementing new and hopefully, improved plans of actions’, it is potentially less hazardous when the plan is tested, and retested. Many local and federal agencies are implementing mock disaster situations. This assessment is beneficial to those participants who are acting in these situations, so that they will act accordingly in a realistic or similar situation. While at the same time, the agency or agencies that are testing out the bugs of the new outline will be more prepared in the future as situations arise.