Communication is always the second casualty at an active assailant event.

 

Universally, every active shooter event has demonstrated that 9-1-1 communication centers will be quickly overwhelmed. At the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, three dispatchers handled 2,027 emergency calls. At the 2012 Aurora Theater shooting, 13 dispatchers handled more than 6,000 emergency calls. At the 2013 Paramus, New Jersey mall shooting, dispatchers received so many calls that they had to transfer calls to five New Jersey counties, the NYPD, and the State of Pennsylvania.

After-action reports consistently document the same problems: 9-1-1 communicators initially skeptical of callers, lengthy arguments about caller location, critical information lost when calls are disconnected, overwhelmed dispatch systems, and radio failures that prevent coordination with responders in the field.

Research by the Department of Justice found that active assailant events have increased 600% since 2009 and the lethality of these events has increased 150%. Every year, approximately 125 people are killed in active shooter events in the United States, with many more injured. One-third to one-half of those deaths are preventable with rapid information gathering, coordinated dispatch, quick treatment, and rapid transport to trauma hospitals.

Your 9-1-1 center is the operational foundation for an effective active assailant response. This course prepares communicators to gather critical information in seconds, recognize escalating threats, coordinate multi-agency response, and provide life-saving guidance to callers.

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Who Should Attend

This course is designed for 9-1-1 communicators, emergency dispatch supervisors, emergency managers, incident commanders, law enforcement, fire personnel, and EMS supervisors. Participants should understand their organization's emergency procedures and be familiar with dispatch operations.

This training is mandatory for all 9-1-1 personnel and highly recommended for law enforcement, fire, and EMS supervisors who coordinate response with dispatch.

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What You Will Learn

History and Data: Understanding Active Assailant Events

Participants learn the history of mass shootings and active assailant events in the United States, examining how threat patterns have evolved. Historical data from after-action reports at Virginia Tech, Aurora, Pulse, Sandy Hook, Parkland, and other major incidents reveals the scale of communications challenges and the critical role of the 9-1-1 center in shaping response outcomes.

Recognizing the Threat: Active Assailant Indicators

The course teaches specific "triggers" for declaring an active shooter event and distinguishing between a single-shooter incident and a complex, multi-perpetrator active assailant event. Participants learn to recognize early warning signs in caller language, location patterns, and incident progression that indicate event complexity and escalating threat level.

Three-Phase 9-1-1 Response Framework

The course organizes 9-1-1 communicator response into three connected phases: initial notification and threat confirmation, rapid information gathering, and sustained dispatch coordination. Participants practice rapid interrogation techniques to extract critical location, perpetrator description, victim count, weapon type, and tactical information in less than 15 seconds.

Information Management Under Overwhelming Call Volume

Participants address the practical reality of 6,000+ emergency calls during a single event. The course covers call prioritization, protocol deconfliction, managing inconsistent information, filtering stale information, and ensuring that critical, actionable intelligence reaches responders. The course also addresses common dispatch failures: radio system overload, CAD (Computer-Aided Dispatch) failure, dropped calls, and lack of radio discipline.

Multi-Agency Coordination: Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS

The course covers integrated active assailant response models, including the Rescue Task Force (RTF) framework and alternative rescue-team models. Participants learn how 9-1-1 communicators coordinate medical response when law enforcement is engaged with the threat and how communication gaps result in medical delays exceeding three hours. The course emphasizes the role of the communicator in ensuring that fire and EMS personnel have clear, actionable information about threat location and safe approach routes.

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The Threat Response Telecommunicator

The course introduces the role of the threat response telecommunicator: a communicator trained in active assailant response, threat assessment, and threat-event operations. This specialized role assists incident commanders with real-time information, manages threat communications channels, and bridges the gap between field responders and dispatch operations. Participants learn how threat response telecommunicators improve response coordination and reduce the likelihood of friendly-fire incidents, civil unrest escalation, and medical delays.

Emerging Threats: Swatting and False Reports

The course covers the growing problem of "swatting," where false active assailant reports are deliberately sent to 9-1-1 to overwhelm dispatch and create public alarm. Participants learn indicators of a potential swatting event, verification protocols, and how to prevent false information from cascading through response operations.

Lessons from Multiple Events and Exercises

The course concludes with communication lessons learned from numerous active assailant events and large-scale exercises. Participants examine protocol deconfliction procedures, methods to prepare callers for law enforcement room entry, use of social media to locate victims and confirm threats, and post-incident communicator stress and resilience.

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Course Details

Format: Instructor-led lecture, facilitated discussion, case studies, call-taking scenarios, and interactive exercises.

Duration: Four to eight hours. Half-day and full-day options available; course can be customized for PSAP-specific protocols and operational priorities.

Audience: 9-1-1 communicators, emergency dispatch supervisors, emergency managers, incident commanders, law enforcement, fire, and EMS supervisors.

Class Size: Host-specific and scalable. Final limits depend on available workstations, classroom capacity, and desired level of hands-on scenario training.

Prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with their organization's emergency procedures, dispatch operations, and radio protocols. No prior active assailant training required.

Cost: $3,500 for a half-day (4 hours) plus instructor travel and lodging. $6,000 for a full-day (8 hours) plus instructor travel and lodging.

Host Agency Responsibilities

The host organization is responsible for:

• Coordinating the course, registering participants, and obtaining any applicable continuing-education credit

• Providing a suitable classroom or virtual-delivery environment

• For in-person delivery: computer, projector or display, reliable audio, and adequate seating

• For scenario-based training: workstations or call-taking simulator access (if available)

• Identifying PSAP-specific protocols, known communication challenges, and operational priorities suitable for customized discussion

The lecture does not require specialized dispatch equipment or training props. If tabletop exercises, functional exercises, or other practical components are requested, facility and equipment requirements will be addressed in a separate course plan before scheduling.