As the principle in scenario A
The principle of the school has the communication facilities and the teachers as the assets for dealing with the situation. He will need to involve the security agencies by making communications about the reality of the situation at the school. The principle will need to coordinate with other principles in the school district and the security agencies in dealing with the situation. The involvement of other principles in the school district is important so as to alert them to take the necessary measures that will aid in the prevention of a similar scenario in the event that it is a coordinated attack targeting several schools in the area. The principle will also need to coordinate with security agencies to provide important information such as the estimated number of attackers, the nature of facilities that can be targeted and the best way to evacuate the students based on the arrangement of facilities in the school. The principle can organize the teachers in order to calm the students with the aim of preventing a worse situation due to panic (Zdziarski, Dunkel & Rollo, 2007).
As the Principal in scenario B
The principle of the school needs to cool down and try to accommodate the demands made by the terrorists by making a public announcement using the available communication equipment in the school. The principle can get involved by trying to buy time with the terrorists as the security agencies prepare the appropriate response to the situation. The principle will then need to act as the channel of communication between the security agencies and the terrorists and this would involve trying to negotiate with the terrorists by assuring to fulfill their demands (Zdziarski, Dunkel & Rollo, 2007). This will keep the terrorists temporarily satisfied thus giving the security agencies time to organize their actions appropriately.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Domestic Terrorism".
As the Emergency Manager in scenario A
The emergency manager in the county has the control over emergency response equipment and the relevant information about the emergency situations in the area. He will be the key advisor to the police and other security agencies by formulating the best response that will guarantee the safety of the students and the teachers in the school. The emergency manager will need to coordinate with the representatives in the neighboring counties in order to mobilize for enough emergency response equipment in case the locally available resources are not enough (Forest, 2006).
As the Emergency Manager in scenario B
The emergency manager in the county will need to prepare the response team in dealing with cases of injuries and deaths resulting from the attack. The manager can consider the possibility of negotiating with the terrorists so as to allow emergency officials to attend to the affected individuals before or during the press conference with the media. He will be responsible for controlling the members of public from interfering with the police operations by sealing off the area and looking for similar threats in the surrounding area. He will also need to reconsider the advice given to the authorities since the security situation has changed with the new demands made by the terrorists (Forest, 2006).
As the Mayor in scenario A
The mayor of the town will provide the first response by the security officers which in this case is the police. He will lead the police officers in understanding the exact form of security threat facing the school and making the decision on the necessary security response that should be carried out. The mayor has the control of the immediate police officers and fire department that will be necessary for addressing the situation. The mayor can take action by establishing a communication channel with the principle at the school and prepare an emergency response plan that should be used by the police and the firefighters. He will need to coordinate with the emergency manager to avail the necessary equipment and information based on the planned response.
As the Mayor in scenario B
Scenario B represents a new threat and priority to the police and this means the mayor will have to reconsider the planned security response in order to accommodate the need to save as many lives as possible. The mayor will need to coordinate with the Chairman of the County Supervisors in the management of the situation and provision of additional security and emergency response resources in dealing with the situation (Forest, 2006).
As the Chairman in scenario A
The Chairman of the County Supervisors is in control of all the security and emergency response facilities in the county and has the authority to coordinate with other counties in the provision of additional resources for use in emergency cases. He will coordinate with the mayor in understanding the situation and formulating the security response plan. The chairman will need to authorize the release of the necessary resources and the commencement of the security operations (Forest, 2006).
As the Chairman in scenario B
The chairman of the County Supervisors will have to approve the response plan by making a decision on whether it will be necessary to accommodate the initial demands made by the terrorists. He will need to coordinate with security agencies at higher levels of administration in accommodating the government policies in responding to demands made by the terrorists. He also has to ensure that the fire and the health departments are ready to support the police and provide immediate emergency care when implementing the security response plan (Forest, 2006).
- Forest, J. J. F. (2006). Public spaces and social institutions. Westport, Conn: Praeger Security.
- Zdziarski, E. L., Dunkel, N. W., & Rollo, J. M. (2007). Campus crisis management: A comprehensive guide to planning, prevention, response, and recovery. San Francisco
