Recent tragic incidents have proven that an active shooter incident can happen anywhere—in the United States alone, schools, theaters, shopping malls, military bases, and churches have all been recent targets for active shooters, often with devastating results. Are military installations and law enforcement agencies ready for an attack on their communities by an active shooter with a sophisticated, carefully thought-out plan to systematically cause chaos and destroy innocent people?

If an active shooter incident does take place on a military installation or in a community, a collective, synchronized response effort by law enforcement, public services, and community organizations is needed to minimize the impact on the community. To achieve this, effective response plans need to address the principles of preparedness, response, consequence management, and restoration. With this in mind, the Fort Bliss Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) and Directorate of Plans, Training and Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) are spearheading the development of an all-inclusive Active Shooter and Mass Casualty (MASCAL) response plan that can be used as a framework for other military installations. The framework can also be adapted for incidents that take place off of military installations, and its plans and response techniques are in accordance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS).