Collaboration is the name of the game when you are trying to protect employees and citizens. The First Responders of the Aeronautical Center make it a point to involve local law enforcement agencies, fire departments and emergency management teams when developing crisis scenarios. A larger objective comes into play when these First Responders get together, sharing best practices, defining roles, determining protocols, knowing possible resources and keeping communication lines open.

Members of the Office of Facility Management developed a Table Top exercise to address a possible Active Shooter Scenario. Being proactive, by bringing all the necessary parties together before an emergency occurs is key. "It’s important to remember, this exercise is a chance for first responders to meet each other in a calm atmosphere, rather than in the heat of the moment, when lifesaving decisions are being made," explains Tricia Brace, Emergency Readiness Officer. Annual workshops like these aid in planning, since there is no one, single security standard that applies to every facility. Fortunately, many of these individuals already work and train together in the community, for the safety of everyone. These training sessions provide the perfect opportunity to collaborate on roles and responsibilities, and to shed light on jurisdiction, when an emergency response occurs.

So, whether the emergency is natural or man-made, plans are in place to protect lives and property. Each emergency is different and requires different skills and abilities, such as crowd control, evacuations, incident containment, and emergency operations support. Familiarization with the Center makes for a better emergency response. It also benefits the operation, when team members come from multidisciplinary backgrounds, share different views of operations, and are diverse and forward-thinking individuals. In planning ahead, potential threats can be mitigated by making sure that resources get to the right place as quickly as possible. Simply put, being prepared can save lives, time, and money.