I write about mass shootings, mass murders and school massacres. It’s not a morbid curiosity. It’s part of my job to share insights, share resources and put a local event into context for a national audience.
One the most frequent critiques I receive from headline readers is the “It’s too soon” with variations of grieving and investigating:
- Let’s finish grieving before we analyze.
- The bullet cases are still on the ground, it’s too soon.
You are welcome to grieve as long as you wish.
And in the large majority of the active shooter incidents the shooter is dead by their own hand or in police custody within minutes or a couple of hours. The lingering investigation question is usually around motive. All of the who, what, where and how questions have been answered.
Those who plead for more time, what’s an acceptable amount of time?
If it’s too soon for me to write and others to read, and for us to discuss the Parkland, Fla. shooting can we discuss, learn from and adopt policy change based on one of these incidents.
- Texas, November 2017: Is there a limit on the civilian scope of practice?
- Las Vegas, October 2017: Rapid response: Triage mass shooter patients as treatable by lay people or medical professionals
- Fort Lauderdale, January 2017: Rapid Response: 3 active shooter, mass killing truths
- Dallas, July 2016: Rapid Response: Paramedic preparation, response to police shot at mass gatherings
- Orlando, June 2016: Rapid Response: Responders need to level-up to match lethal capability of mass shooters
- San Bernardino, December 2015: Rapid Response: EMS response is media focus in early phase of an active shooter
- Paris, November 2015: Paris massacre rapid response: EMS leaders must prepare for Hybrid Targeted Violence in the U.S.
- Oregon, October 2015: Rapid Response: Mass murder at Ore. college shows challenge, importance of good PIO work
- Newtown, December 2012: Newtown school shooting: 3 things I’ll be doing
And yes, I get the same too soon comment when the weapon is a bomb, vehicle or sword:
- Manchester, May 2017: Rapid response: MCI readiness, blast injury treatment takeaways after Manchester
- Sweden, October 2015: Rapid Response: Active shooter or active stabber? The EMS response is the same
The articles on training for an active shooter … those are mostly met with a shrug of “it won’t happen in our town.” But if you’re interested:
- Wis. EMS and police prepare together for active-shooter incident response
- EMS operations during an active-shooter incident
- 2 types of training for active-shooter incidents
- Active-shooter response: Are you physically ready?
