Before I start, I just want to clarify that a "riot scenario" in this context means a scenario in which there are emergency personnel wearing "riot gear". "Riot police" are police officers wearing "riot gear". This thread is about the operations of EMS in that scenario.
Below is a Ruptly video from Charlotte on the 2nd night of protests. It covers the before, during, and after the scene of a non-officer involved shooting. It is graphic.
For those not interested in the video, it is during a very intense part of the protest. While the cameraman is near one of the lines of riot police, a gun shot is heard seemingly near. Bystanders surround the victim, time lapses, and a clip starting at 0:43 shows multiple individuals wearing riot helmet/masks and bulletproof vests stamped very clearly with a white-on-red "Fire Department" patch on the back. The patient has head blocks and appears to be on a backboard as they are carried through the crowd. Individual riot police officers are then seen keeping people away from the carrying party.
There has been a few stories spurring threads regarding active shooter scenarios, but the majority of those have been in a structure or otherwise confined space. This situation stands apart in that it is an open area with a large amount of people, an unknown number of which have expressed malicious intentions (exhibited by objects thrown, fires set, theft, etc.)
I've got a few questions. It seemed that there were Police among the squad of Fire that retrieved the patient. Why not send just Fire? Why not send just Police? Why not send Police in with Fire patches? Is the latter unethical?
I'm glad to see the team appears to have made it out of the crowd unscathed, but it was certainly a risk to be taken. I have absolutely no experience responding to a scene involving large crowds that include individuals with malicious intentions. Those of you that do, do you find that a path is generally made for first responders, no matter the patch they wear? If riot gear is necessary, wear is the line drawn for non-LEOs?
I believe it was in the recent Ferguson protests that EMS was actually ordered to wear their white uniforms as opposed to navy or black uniforms to visually separate themselves from LE. At this same incident there were videos of victims being brought to the police lines then received, as opposed to personnel attempting to retrieve them from the crowd. Perhaps this was because first responders weren't aware of victims within the crowd to retrieve them anyway.
Is anyone stepping up riot response training? Are crews getting helmets/face shields in addition to vests now?
Below is a Ruptly video from Charlotte on the 2nd night of protests. It covers the before, during, and after the scene of a non-officer involved shooting. It is graphic.
Embedded media from this media site is no longer available
For those not interested in the video, it is during a very intense part of the protest. While the cameraman is near one of the lines of riot police, a gun shot is heard seemingly near. Bystanders surround the victim, time lapses, and a clip starting at 0:43 shows multiple individuals wearing riot helmet/masks and bulletproof vests stamped very clearly with a white-on-red "Fire Department" patch on the back. The patient has head blocks and appears to be on a backboard as they are carried through the crowd. Individual riot police officers are then seen keeping people away from the carrying party.
There has been a few stories spurring threads regarding active shooter scenarios, but the majority of those have been in a structure or otherwise confined space. This situation stands apart in that it is an open area with a large amount of people, an unknown number of which have expressed malicious intentions (exhibited by objects thrown, fires set, theft, etc.)
I've got a few questions. It seemed that there were Police among the squad of Fire that retrieved the patient. Why not send just Fire? Why not send just Police? Why not send Police in with Fire patches? Is the latter unethical?
I'm glad to see the team appears to have made it out of the crowd unscathed, but it was certainly a risk to be taken. I have absolutely no experience responding to a scene involving large crowds that include individuals with malicious intentions. Those of you that do, do you find that a path is generally made for first responders, no matter the patch they wear? If riot gear is necessary, wear is the line drawn for non-LEOs?
I believe it was in the recent Ferguson protests that EMS was actually ordered to wear their white uniforms as opposed to navy or black uniforms to visually separate themselves from LE. At this same incident there were videos of victims being brought to the police lines then received, as opposed to personnel attempting to retrieve them from the crowd. Perhaps this was because first responders weren't aware of victims within the crowd to retrieve them anyway.
Is anyone stepping up riot response training? Are crews getting helmets/face shields in addition to vests now?