The InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness and Response

06/08/2020

IACP Statement on “Defunding the Police”

"Promoting community policing; embracing systemic reforms; and improving police training, policies, and procedures will require both dedicated resources and an enduring commitment from police leaders, community members, and elected officials. All that “defunding” and shifting resources away from the police will accomplish is to further reduce the ability of police leaders to enact the positive change that is required. Now is not the time to further limit the capacity of police agencies to connect with our communities and to provide services to those who are most in need of assistance and protection."

https://www.theiacp.org/news/blog-post/iacp-statement-on-defunding-the-police

IACP Statement on “Defunding the Police”

06/08/2020

Firefighters come under attack as protests turn violent

"International Association of Fire Chiefs president Gary Ludwig calls for calm."

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6162097655001#sp=show-clips

International Association of Fire Chiefs president Gary Ludwig calls for calm on 'Fox & Friends.'

06/08/2020

Man drives into Seattle protest, shoots one protester

"Video shared on Twitter by a bystander at the incident showed a man emerging from a vehicle that appeared to have struck a barricade at an intersection. The driver appeared to be carrying a gun in one hand as he ran into the crowd. The sound of what appeared to be gunshots could be heard on video of the incident from the scene.

One witness told NBC News' local affiliate KING that the victim had tried to stop the vehicle from driving into the crowd before the driver shot him."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-drives-seattle-george-floyd-protest-shoots-one-protester-n1227176

A 27-year-old man was taken to hospital after being shot, police said.

06/08/2020

Majority of Minneapolis City Council Pledges to Dismantle Police Department

"Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council pledged on Sunday to dismantle the city’s Police Department, promising to create a new system of public safety in a city where law enforcement has long been accused of racism.

Council members said they did not have specific plans to announce for what a new public safety system for the city would look like. They promised to develop plans by working with the community, and said they would draw on past studies, consent decrees and reforms to policing across the nation and the world."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/us/protests-today-george-floyd-video.html

Some cities are starting to to heed calls to “defund the police,” as lawmakers push proposals for greater police accountability. National Guard troops are being sent home from Washington, D.C.

06/05/2020

Denver Health Paramedics Go Into Riots Without Hesitation To Treat Injured People

"Four days and nights of protests, some of which turned violent, tested the training, planning, and safety equipment of Denver Health paramedics and EMTs. By Monday, first responders had treated more than 100 people involved in the protests, despite being attacked several times, Denver Health reported."

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/06/01/denver-health-paramedics-riots-treat-injured-people/

By Monday, first responders had treated more than 100 people involved in the protests, despite being attacked several times, Denver Health reported.

06/05/2020

Fire and emergency medical services response to civil unrest

"The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Emergency Medical Services worked together to compile these best practices to assist you with your response to civil unrest incidents in your community. Fire and EMS personnel should follow the general guidance in this section to prepare personnel, the station, apparatus and the community for emergency response in a challenging environment."

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/operations/civil_unrest/index.html

Best practices for fire and EMS personnel to follow when responding to civil unrest incidents.

06/05/2020

"The team’s work supports evidence-based decision making, informed by the models, to rethink and facilitate hospital operations when utilizing limited critical resources as demand surges.

Disposable equipment such as face masks and permanent equipment like ventilators are treated differently. The models allow the team to assess alternative capacity enhancement and demand management strategies, crisis standards of care options, and hospital collaboration measures in a dynamically changing environment."

https://volgenau.gmu.edu/news/585421

06/05/2020

NY county holds free walk-up COVID-19 testing amid protests

"First responders and demonstrators who may have been exposed during mass gatherings in the last few days can be tested for COVID-19 at a free walk-up site in Albany, NY.

Albany County Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen said those who participated in mass gatherings over the last weekend should get tested once this week and again next week."

https://www.firerescue1.com/coronavirus-covid-19/articles/ny-county-holds-free-walk-up-covid-19-testing-amid-protests-VRF6ZqCLDyUYx5ug/

First responders and protesters in Albany County can get tested at the Albany Capital South Campus on Thursday

06/04/2020

Joint Terrorism Task Force Charges Three Men Who Allegedly Sought To Exploit Protests In Las Vegas And Incite Violence

"Three alleged members of the “Boogaloo” movement — a term used by extremists to signify a coming civil war and/or collapse of society — have been charged with violations of federal and state law for conspiracy to cause destruction during protests in Las Vegas, and possession of an unregistered destructive device (specifically, an improvised incendiary device commonly known as a Molotov cocktail)."

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/pr/joint-terrorism-task-force-charges-three-men-who-allegedly-sought-exploit-protests-las

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse for the FBI, and Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced today that three alleged members...

06/04/2020

Public Health Response to the Initiation and Spread of Pandemic ...

"Various factors contributed to accelerated spread during February–March 2020, including continued travel-associated importations, large gatherings, introductions into high-risk workplaces and densely populated areas, and cryptic transmission resulting from limited testing and asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread. Targeted and communitywide mitigation efforts were needed to slow transmission."

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6918e2.htm?s_cid=mm6918e2_w

This report describes various factors that contributed to accelerated spread of coronavirus disease 2019 during February–April 2020.

06/04/2020

FLIR Systems Installs EST Screening Solution at Pentagon to Support Fight Against COVID-19 – Homeland Security Today

"The system is being used to screen visitors for elevated or higher than expected skin temperatures, which can help guard against the spread of COVID-19."

https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/biometrics-id-management/flir-systems-installs-est-screening-solution-at-pentagon-to-support-fight-against-covid-19

FLIR Systems, Inc. announced it has installed its EST™ screening system at the Pentagon Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. The company’s integrated EST screening solution, the A700 EST-IS, features the FLIR A700 thermal imaging camera. The system is being used to screen visitors for elevated or ...

06/04/2020

Basic Psychosocial Skills: A Guide for COVID-19 Responders – Homeland Security Today

"This Guide aims to help orient people supporting the COVID-19 response to integrate psychosocial support skills into their daily work, thereby making a difference to the well-being of people they come into contact with during the pandemic. The illustrated chapters provide practical advice for taking care of one’s own mental well-being, communicating with empathy, and helping people suffering from stress or severe distress. Case studies and tips to remember are included throughout."

https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/emergency-preparedness/basic-psychosocial-skills-a-guide-for-covid-19-responders

This Guide aims to help orient people supporting the COVID-19 response to integrate psychosocial support skills into their daily work, thereby making a difference to the well-being of people they come into contact with during the pandemic. More specifically, the Guide is intended for health and soci...

06/03/2020

PPE in EMS Moving Forward: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 - JEMS

"COVID-19 will almost certainly not be the last infectious disease dramatically affecting prehospital care. Even after the virus is eradicated, cured, or effectively managed, EMS providers will still likely be facing other infectious diseases or preparing for the next prospective pandemic. Many of the lessons learned during COVID-19 have the potential to institute broad-ranging changes to how EMS providers utilize personal protective equipment in the field moving forward."

https://www.jems.com/2020/06/02/ppe-in-ems-moving-forward/

Aditya Shekhar on how the COVID-19 pandemic might change how PPE is used in the field.

06/03/2020

How Islamist Extremists and White Supremacists Try to Exploit Civil Unrest – Homeland Security Today

"Regardless of differences in ideology, Islamist extremists and white supremacists share operational characteristics – particularly when it comes to recruitment and taking advantage of current events in shaping a message that they hope will lure new followers and spur them to take action on behalf of the movement, whether that materializes in physical attacks, battling in the online space or otherwise acting as an influencer to spread that ideology."

https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/how-islamist-extremists-and-white-supremacists-try-to-exploit-civil-unrest

Regardless of differences in ideology, Islamist extremists and white supremacists share operational characteristics – particularly when it comes to recruitment and taking advantage of current events in shaping a message that they hope will lure new followers and spur them to take action on behalf ...

06/03/2020

Traffic Enforcement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

"While COVID-19 cases are steadily increasing within the U.S., law enforcement agencies continue to respond to incidents and enforce traffic laws in their communities, despite the operational challenges they may face on roadways due to the pandemic. Below are considerations to take when making traffic stops or conducting traffic safety initiatives."

https://www.theiacp.org/resources/document/traffic-enforcement-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

06/03/2020

How 9-1-1 Is Changing in a COVID-19 World

"This report is based on 500 survey responses from 911 professionals across 44 states and territories. Survey responses will help to inform public safety stakeholders, policymakers and the public about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting 911 operations, technology and personnel."

Download the report here:
https://www.usfa.fema.gov/operations/infograms/052820.html

06/02/2020

IAFC President: We Are Not Your Enemy

"Despite extremely dangerous conditions, the nation's firefighters are on the front lines attending to the injured and extinguishing fires. We do not judge. We act. That is why it is enormously distressing to see our firefighters and EMS personnel attacked by stones, rocks, bricks, fireworks, and in other ways.

Firefighters have only one mission – to save lives and protect property. Please help them complete that mission safely."

https://www.iafc.org/press-releases/press-release/iafc-president-we-are-not-your-enemy

06/02/2020

Federal prisons under national lockdown amid George Floyd protests, most severe restrictions in 25 years

"The federal Bureau of Prisons has imposed a national lockdown amid continuing civil unrest in cities across the country in a move that resembled the agency's response to mass rioting at several of its facilities 25 years ago.

Federal authorities, already struggling to contain deadly outbreaks of the coronavirus that has left 68 inmates dead, had ordered nationwide restrictions on inmate movements in March in an attempt to limit the virus' spread. But officials took the more restrictive action late Monday as a surge of violent clashes between protesters and police erupted following the death of George Floyd."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/02/george-floyd-protests-federal-prisons-lockdown-amid-outside-unrest/3122517001/

The Federal Bureau of Prisons ordered a national lockdown amid continuing civil unrest in cities across the country over the death of George Floyd.

06/02/2020

Officials see extremist groups, disinformation in protests

"U.S. officials are seeking to determine whether extremist groups had infiltrated police brutality protests across the country and deliberately tipped largely peaceful demonstrations toward violence — and if foreign adversaries were behind a burgeoning disinformation campaign on social media."

https://apnews.com/cab28a109c7fd49e308364d6e0bf9929

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials are seeking to determine whether extremist groups had infiltrated police brutality protests across the country and deliberately tipped largely peaceful...

06/01/2020

AG Barr deploying federal riot teams to DC, Miami to quell unrest, DOJ official says

"Riot teams are being sent from the federal Bureau of Prisons, while the FBI also has directed its elite Hostage Rescue Unit to help in D.C., a senior Justice Department official said Monday.

A weekend of rioting in the nation’s capital left deep scars in the shadow of the White House and across the city where 88 people have been arrested, while dozens of law enforcement officers, including Secret Service agents were injured. The federal prison riot team arrived in Miami Sunday."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/01/george-floyd-protests-ag-barr-deploying-riot-teams-dc-miami/5308052002/

A weekend of rioting in the nation’s capital left deep scars in the shadow of the White House. The federal prison riot team arrived in Miami Sunday.

06/01/2020

Protests could cause catastrophic setback for controlling coronavirus, experts say

"Within the last few days, careful social distancing has been overturned by demonstrations against social injustice — as thousands of Americans congregate in cities across the country protesting the death of George Floyd.

The large gatherings, infectious disease experts said, could cause a catastrophic setback for controlling COVID-19 in the U.S. as cities and states try to reopen."

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/protests-could-accelerate-spread-coronavirus-public-health-experts-say-n1220551

"If you were out protesting last night, you probably need to go get a COVID test this week," said the mayor of Atlanta.

06/01/2020

Attorney General William P. Barr's Statement on Riots and Domestic Terrorism

“With the rioting that is occurring in many of our cities around the country, the voices of peaceful and legitimate protests have been hijacked by violent radical elements. Groups of outside radicals and agitators are exploiting the situation to pursue their own separate, violent, and extremist agenda.

It is time to stop watching the violence and to confront and stop it. The continued violence and destruction of property endangers the lives and livelihoods of others, and interferes with the rights of peaceful protestors, as well as all other citizens.

It also undercuts the urgent work that needs to be done – through constructive engagement between affected communities and law enforcement leaders – to address legitimate grievances. Preventing reconciliation and driving us apart is the goal of these radical groups, and we cannot let them succeed.

It is the responsibility of state and local leaders to ensure that adequate law enforcement resources, including the National Guard where necessary, are deployed on the streets to reestablish law and order."

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barrs-statement-riots-and-domestic-terrorism

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06/01/2020

FEMA Predicts Above-Average Year for Hurricanes Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

"U.S. officials are predicting an “enhanced” Atlantic hurricane season that may create new challenges for Americans already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

The season, which officially begins today, has already seen two named tropical storms, Arthur and Bertha."

https://www.voanews.com/usa/fema-predicts-above-average-year-hurricanes-amid-coronavirus-pandemic

U.S. officials are predicting an “enhanced” Atlantic hurricane season that may create new challenges for Americans already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials briefed President Donald Trump on Thursday, outlining preparations for the 202...