Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program

Nationwide and around the globe, communities are facing an increasing number of tragedies involving active shooter and/or hostile events. The need for an integrated preparedness, response, and recovery program is greater than ever before.  Protect your community with NFPA 3000™ (PS), Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program. This standard addresses all aspects of the process, from identifying hazards and assessing vulnerability to planning, resource management, incident management at a command level, competencies for first responders, and recovery.

What You Need To Know About NFPA 3000

As more hostile events continue to occur around the world, it is critical for first responders, emergency personnel, facility managers, hospital officials, community members, and others to have the information they need to be prepared when attacks occur. NFPA® is developing a new standard – NFPA 3000, Standard for Preparedness and Response to Active Shooter and/or Hostile Events – to address that need. The purpose of NFPA 3000 is to identify the minimum program elements necessary for organizing, managing, and sustaining an active shooter and/or hostile event response program and to reduce or eliminate the risks, effect, and impact on an organization or community affected by these events.

The document addresses the following areas and others:

  • Risk assessment
  • Planning
  • Resource management
  • Organizational deployment
  • Incident management
  • Facility readiness
  • Finance • Communications
  • Competencies for law enforcement
  • Competencies for fire and EMS
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Training
  • Community education
  • Information sharing
  • Readiness of receiving hospitals
  • Recovery

What are the Main Objectives for Developing NFPA 3000?

Prepare a single set of requirements to be used by a whole community addressing unified command, integrated response, and recovery as follows:

Unified Command: Explain how and why the unified command structure at an operations level needs to be in place and practiced.

Integrated Response: Preparation and response must take into account the operations of numerous different agencies. These organizations must have operational plans that incorporate the objectives of other responding agencies and they must function as a cohesive, integrated unit

 Recovery: Effective recovery planning must start now, and there are several aspects of recovery that need to be planned for.

Who is Working on Developing NFPA 3000?

 NFPA: The non-profit organization is facilitating the code development process to create this brand new document.

Committee of Broad-Based Technical Experts: A 46-member all-encompassing NFPA Technical Committee has been assembled with representatives from law enforcement, fire, EMS, federal agencies, health care, private security, universities and local government.

First Responders and the Public: The NFPA standards development process is open to anyone to view and participate in. The public, first responders, and any interested party can provide input when the draft is posted, and can follow the development of NFPA 3000 by receiving updates as soon as they are available.

Is NFPA 3000 Only for the Fire Service?

No, NFPA 3000 is for citizens, facilities, schools, health care, non-governmental organizations, law enforcement and other responders, city leaders, and emergency management. All of these stakeholders need to be at the table and working together.

https://www.appa.org/Webinarseries/NFPA3000FactSheet.pdf