Shortly after the tragic events at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada began training in the "contact and extraction teams" approach to threat and casualty management during active violence situations. However, conventional fire departments and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel lacked the necessary training, equipment, and procedures to safely enter the warm zones of these environments. Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) providers were also not always readily available, resulting in significant delays in treating and transporting victims.

Over the past 24 years, more law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and EMS organizations have recognized the importance of cooperation before, during, and after critical incidents. This includes working together within both the inner and outer perimeters, as well as at the command and public messaging levels. With the increasing prevalence of mass violence across the country, nearly every public safety organization in North America is now focused on how to achieve this level of collaboration.

In response to this need, the "High-Risk Unified Commander (HRUC)" course was developed to provide realistic, contemporary strategies, tactics, and information for frontline supervisors and training officers in law enforcement, fire, and EMS. The course focuses on how to effectively "stop the killing, dying, and crying" during critical incidents.

Course Content:

"HRUC" is an intensive, fast-paced, and practical training program, offering four hours of interactive content within an 8-hour day. Participants will gain invaluable insights and tools, grounded in real-world experience, to improve their ability to respond to mass violence incidents. Unlike theoretical recommendations, this training is based on lessons learned from hundreds of supervisors who have responded to similar tragedies.

The course also addresses how to apply past lessons to future incidents, whether in high-tempo urban environments or rural areas with limited resources.

Note: This is not a National Incident Management System (NIMS) class. Instead, it provides real-world command training that can be immediately applied in the field—whether on the hood of a patrol vehicle, at the breach point, or within a hallway.

Note taking material