Active Shooter Response Class
Conducted by Jeff Hogan, Owner of Defensive Combat Tactics
November 10/11, 2007, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sunsets are a cool thing to watch. Generally you take them in after a
hard day of work, beer in hand, sometimes, if you're lucky, with a
friend or seven. I had the pleasure of taking in just such ending,
Defensive Combat Tactics quietly closed shop and was reborn as part of
another training company. This sunset was titled 'Active Shooter
Response' and was a hard, fulfilling 2 days of learn, plan, move,
shoot, survive.
I had a lot of unanswered questions about active shooter scenarios
since my TEMS training with Tactical Solutions Group in August.
Several hastily conducted exercises left me feeling somewhat lost
about how to take other gun knowledgeable but otherwise untrained
civilians and quickly enlist them into helping to stop an active
shooter. The SWAT methodology I'd learned left me butting heads with a
reserve police officers over dynamic entry versus slower methods such
as fully pieing a room. Not to worry though, Jeff and DCT provided me
the answer to that question and so much more.
DAY ONE
We started the day in the classroom going over what a lot of basic
terminology of what and who an active shooter is, their general goals
and levels of planning. They can stretch from basic active shooters
(that rarely make the news), to intermediate level, such as Columbine,
to advanced, such as the Beslan massacre. We also covered the details
that separate a traditional 'barricaded gunman' from what we now term
an 'active shooter'. Also we discussed a myriad of details such as how
an active shooter is considered active or inactive and how a responder
must adapt as the situation dynamically changes.
We then covered a great deal of LE only planning that I'll not cover
in depth publicly due to OPSEC issues, and the need for Tactical
Emergency Medical Training at all levels, civilian, patrol and
advanced teams such as SWAT. We covered chain of command and reasons
why the highest ranking person may not be the 'go to guy' for
immediate action teams. There was ample discussion on the three
largest topics, neutralization, containment and perimeter.
One of the most interesting protocols we discussed was that any
'additional resource' (read civilians offering assistance) had to
recognize LE/SWAT chain of command and understand that they were to
remain at a assumed post until relieved or reassigned by LE
authorities. This seems rather far fetched, but in an area like
Valencia County, NM where there are only 4 deputies on duty at any
given time for over 2000 square miles. Relief might be a long time
coming.
We also covered longer range protocols such as the mostly standardized
'Incident Command System Operations', LE SOPS, Response Guidelines,
Active Shooter Site Surveys, the 7 Incident Command Critical Tasks. We
talked a bit about diamond stack movement, traditional stack movement,
2 man stack movement and single man room clearing on paper for the
civilians and the advantages/disadvantages of each one. The final
subject was personal preparedness, training, sympathetic nervous
system, reaction times, mindset, running mental scenarios, ooda loop,
environmental conditions (low light, cover, terrain), gross motor
skills etc.
After a lunch break (which wasn't nearly as bad as someone will have you
believe) we headed to the range and geared up for the day. After a
long morning in the class room, we were ready to stretch and learn.
It's been said, this is NOT a beginners class. You should know your
weapon and be able at the minimum transition between rifle and pistol
smoothly, reload and repair weapons malfunctions without pause, to
shoot consistent and competent failure to stop drills with both pistol
and rifle, while moving both advancing and withdrawing. Sounds easy
'til ya have to do it for real. Once we all practiced this for a while
we ran the New Mexico Department of Public Safety (NMDPS) 'Shoot on
the Move Qualification' which is a requirement for being allowed to
work in the shoothouse.
Full Size
Full Size
Full Size
Full Size
Full Size
Full Size
After the qualification, (egoboo: I was the only one to score 100% but
I had an advantage in that I've shot that particular qual several
hundred times both under Jeff's instruction and I also practice it on
my own), we went over and discussed shoothouse entry and exit protocol
so as not to get shot. After performing an initial walk-thru we broke
for the evening. One a personal note, many of us attended the wedding
party of Jeff and his HH6 (they eloped to Vegas last week without
telling anyone), so we went to dinner at Jeff's in-laws with many in
tow and much merriment was had. I should apologize for making a
practice run and cramming wedding cake icing up Hawke's nose. ?
(cont)
Conducted by Jeff Hogan, Owner of Defensive Combat Tactics
November 10/11, 2007, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sunsets are a cool thing to watch. Generally you take them in after a
hard day of work, beer in hand, sometimes, if you're lucky, with a
friend or seven. I had the pleasure of taking in just such ending,
Defensive Combat Tactics quietly closed shop and was reborn as part of
another training company. This sunset was titled 'Active Shooter
Response' and was a hard, fulfilling 2 days of learn, plan, move,
shoot, survive.
I had a lot of unanswered questions about active shooter scenarios
since my TEMS training with Tactical Solutions Group in August.
Several hastily conducted exercises left me feeling somewhat lost
about how to take other gun knowledgeable but otherwise untrained
civilians and quickly enlist them into helping to stop an active
shooter. The SWAT methodology I'd learned left me butting heads with a
reserve police officers over dynamic entry versus slower methods such
as fully pieing a room. Not to worry though, Jeff and DCT provided me
the answer to that question and so much more.
DAY ONE
We started the day in the classroom going over what a lot of basic
terminology of what and who an active shooter is, their general goals
and levels of planning. They can stretch from basic active shooters
(that rarely make the news), to intermediate level, such as Columbine,
to advanced, such as the Beslan massacre. We also covered the details
that separate a traditional 'barricaded gunman' from what we now term
an 'active shooter'. Also we discussed a myriad of details such as how
an active shooter is considered active or inactive and how a responder
must adapt as the situation dynamically changes.
We then covered a great deal of LE only planning that I'll not cover
in depth publicly due to OPSEC issues, and the need for Tactical
Emergency Medical Training at all levels, civilian, patrol and
advanced teams such as SWAT. We covered chain of command and reasons
why the highest ranking person may not be the 'go to guy' for
immediate action teams. There was ample discussion on the three
largest topics, neutralization, containment and perimeter.
One of the most interesting protocols we discussed was that any
'additional resource' (read civilians offering assistance) had to
recognize LE/SWAT chain of command and understand that they were to
remain at a assumed post until relieved or reassigned by LE
authorities. This seems rather far fetched, but in an area like
Valencia County, NM where there are only 4 deputies on duty at any
given time for over 2000 square miles. Relief might be a long time
coming.
We also covered longer range protocols such as the mostly standardized
'Incident Command System Operations', LE SOPS, Response Guidelines,
Active Shooter Site Surveys, the 7 Incident Command Critical Tasks. We
talked a bit about diamond stack movement, traditional stack movement,
2 man stack movement and single man room clearing on paper for the
civilians and the advantages/disadvantages of each one. The final
subject was personal preparedness, training, sympathetic nervous
system, reaction times, mindset, running mental scenarios, ooda loop,
environmental conditions (low light, cover, terrain), gross motor
skills etc.
After a lunch break (which wasn't nearly as bad as someone will have you
believe) we headed to the range and geared up for the day. After a
long morning in the class room, we were ready to stretch and learn.
It's been said, this is NOT a beginners class. You should know your
weapon and be able at the minimum transition between rifle and pistol
smoothly, reload and repair weapons malfunctions without pause, to
shoot consistent and competent failure to stop drills with both pistol
and rifle, while moving both advancing and withdrawing. Sounds easy
'til ya have to do it for real. Once we all practiced this for a while
we ran the New Mexico Department of Public Safety (NMDPS) 'Shoot on
the Move Qualification' which is a requirement for being allowed to
work in the shoothouse.
Full Size
Full Size
Full Size
Full Size
Full Size
Full Size
After the qualification, (egoboo: I was the only one to score 100% but
I had an advantage in that I've shot that particular qual several
hundred times both under Jeff's instruction and I also practice it on
my own), we went over and discussed shoothouse entry and exit protocol
so as not to get shot. After performing an initial walk-thru we broke
for the evening. One a personal note, many of us attended the wedding
party of Jeff and his HH6 (they eloped to Vegas last week without
telling anyone), so we went to dinner at Jeff's in-laws with many in
tow and much merriment was had. I should apologize for making a
practice run and cramming wedding cake icing up Hawke's nose. ?
(cont)
)
