Bad Guys Always Have a Say...

"The carnage never seems to end and it’s left many in America grappling with how to react, how to heal and how to change things for the better." - HuffPost, 4 Aug

Morning. My heart aches this morning for the communities of El Paso and Dayton - and for our nation. I saw a number of comments on Twitter that hit the mark from my perspective. None more so than this tweet from Director Kevin Klein, Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management following the shooting in El Paso...

"So sad. As we mourn the dead and care for the wounded, we must do more to prevent targeted violence. It has to be a whole of community approach - law enforcement, behavioral health, social services, faith groups, etc. Finally, as a society we cannot tolerate hate. #ElPasoStrong"

Kevin Klein - Director, Colorado DHSEM

I was off the net last Wednesday and Thursday as I participated in a ride-along at the invitation of a Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team here in Colorado. If you are unfamiliar with the role of a SWAT team - SWAT: A designated law enforcement team whose members are recruited, selected, trained, equipped and assigned to resolve critical incidents involving a threat to public safety which would otherwise exceed the capabilities of traditional law enforcement first responders and/or investigative units. 

What a tremendous opportunity to see first-hand the work of this highly-skilled team and specifically (my focus) how they collaborate, share information and work as a team of teams with various law enforcement and emergency medical units. Needless to say, I was impressed with their well-honed capabilities, tactics and techniques. This SWAT team was everything I expected - rock-solid individuals, extremely professional, well-trained and passionate about protecting their community. I was humbled to watch this team in action and trust me - they left nothing to chance. Thank you to everyone involved for making me feel welcomed - it was a true honor.

In between incidents, I had time to discuss numerous topics and concepts with a super talented, smart and seasoned SWAT member who not only provided the invite but was extremely patient in answering my non-stop questions. He also provided a tour of a dispatch center, allowed me to sit in on a pre-brief for an upcoming tactical operation and observe multiple responses up close and personal. Quite an experience that I am grateful for and will never forget. Plus, lots to consider and blog about in the coming days and weeks.

The topics we discussed during the lull in action included:

• Situational awareness (SA) visual displays and current needs.
• Emerging technology to include robots, drones, concepts for their use and how new tech is embraced - or not.
• Tactical and operational communications flow.
• Policies, procedures and rules of engagement.
• Continuum of force concept and its application.
• Tradecraft and specifically, the use of plain language, jargon, lexicon during radio communications.
• The role of dispatch in tactical and operational incidents.

One statement he made that caught my attention as we talked about pre-planning and SA during the first night was this - "bad guys always have a say." Think about that and its impact on the role of first responders. Both nights I watched as that statement played out during multiple incidents causing the SWAT team to quickly collaborate, adjust and respond based on the actions taken by the bad guy(s). I was impressed with their agility and ability to flex regardless of the situation.

This understanding and ethos is similar to how we teach and train collaboration operations. Check out my "Train Like You Fight" blog for my approach to exercises and why its important to keep them real, unpredictable and filled with a healthy dose of fog of war...not scripted, not predictable and definitely not easy.

Whether it's a bad guy or a wildfire with erratic, unpredictable behavior - the requirement for a collaborative team remains flexibility. How flexible and adaptable is your team? How about your Incident Command Post (ICP) or Emergency Operations Center? How realistic are your training events? How is the health of your Human Net?

Humbly,

Collabman