Editor’s Note: The following content deals with the sensitive topic of mass violence. Some listeners may find it distressing. This podcast was recorded in April 2022. ICF has been providing immediate assistance to communities after a mass violence incident (MVI) for over 30 years. In this podcast we share guidance and advice on how communities can create a plan to respond to MVIs and identify and develop strategies to address the short- and long-term needs of the people they serve.

We invite you to listen to the second episode in a new series discussing large-scale violence and domestic terror—a sensitive topic that impacts us all.

In this conversation, Corina Solé Brito, an ICF director of Public Health Preparedness and ICF’s Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ASPR TRACIE, joins victims support services experts Diane Alexander, with OVC TTAC, and Tara Hughes, who is also the director of Improving Community Preparedness to Assist Victims of Mass Violence and Domestic Terrorism Training and Technical Assistance Project (ICP TTA).

Together, they explain the critical need for pre-event collaboration and communication between jurisdictional incident response team members, the various and significant effects of mass violence incidents (MVI) can have on survivors, responders, and communities as a whole, and the importance of supporting responder resilience before, during, and after an incident.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode include:

• The importance of establishing intercommunication between first responders and service providers in an incident response
• Understanding the role of state victim assistance and compensation services
• Expanding the scope of preparedness to all types of health care providers—not just hospitals
• Identifying the incident response team
• Recognizing the emotionality of an event of mass violence
• Providing short- and long-term care for first responders
• Information distribution and the importance of Public Information Officers (PIO)
• Separating the location of the incident location from victim’s services
• Creating plans that take vulnerable populations into consideration
• Establishing personal and professional contingency plans
• Taking the next steps toward mass violence incident preparedness

Additional Resources

Community planning

• OVC TTAC Mass Violence
• ICP TTA
• Victim Services Exercise Guide & Scenario Templates
• ASPR TRACIE
• Mass Violence Resources
• Disaster Behavioral Health Resources

Personal and Family Planning Resources

• Ready.gov
• Be Red Cross Ready
• Medical Reserve Corps - Core competencies for leaders and volunteers
• Behavioral health PPE pre-deployment checklist for responders
• Mini Modules to Relieve Stress For Healthcare Workers Responding to COVID-19
• SAMHSA DTAC resources for responders