Is There a Community Responder in You?
By Elissa-Beth Gross
Community Responders are citizen-stakeholders who act as true first responders. These individuals are on scene before police, EMS, Fire & Rescue are able to respond to incidents occurring on campuses. Community Responders assist in identifying infrastructure vulnerabilities and closing security gaps. They serve on the committees and join the teams that make their campuses safer, more agile, and resilient. Community Responders are engaged in implementing the Campus Incident Management System (CIMS) and are coordinated through a central platform to strengthen risk-resistant infrastructure (RRI). Just like professional first responders, campus Community Responders can assist in addressing threats.
Citizens helping after an earthquake.
Why is the Community Responders role so important?
The Emergency Services Sector (ESS) has the unique responsibility of protecting the health and safety of its workforce, as well as the remaining 15 Critical Infrastructure Sectors in the United States. Yet, according to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), “there is no program which proactively coordinates a unified effort to assist in critical infrastructure resilience and continuity of operations for the Nation’s first responders”. CISA claims the lack of such a program directly affects: preparedness, planning, response, efficiency and effectiveness, and recovery. CISA states their conclusion is “rooted in open and closed source research, and direct input from the ESS partnership and first responder community”.
Volunteers helping out after a natural disaster.
Faculty, staff, and students should be mobilized in an organized and prioritized manner before, during, and after disasters strike. This effort requires more than sharing information during orientation week and conducting the occasional safety drill. Until the federal government develops a unified program to support national collaboration within the ESS, there will be systemic inconsistencies and weaknesses. Campus leaders cannot rely solely on government resources during times of urgent need. Community Responders must become actively engaged in prevention, protection, and mitigation activities. They’re an ears-to-the-ground, virtually untapped resource.
Community Responders, more than first responders, benefit from firsthand familiarity with the campus. They should be given access to CIMS training and tools to assist with safeguarding themselves and other campus users. They can, and should know how to protect the place where they work and learn. Vested Community Responders are empowered, and lead a pool of incident management partners known as Reasonable Care Champions. Community Responders report to a special Buck Stop Assurance Team (BSAT)! This force-multiplying enterprise extends the traditional Incident Command System (ICS) enabling a whole-of-community “Lifestyle Approach to Incident Management”.