School shootings are forever benchmarked against Columbine. News reports are sure to compare the death total as “not as deadly” or “more deadly” than Columbine.

April 20 marks the 19th anniversary of Columbine. Only Sept. 11 has had a greater impact on EMS in the last 20 years. The mass murders committed in Newtown, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland - and too many other locations to list - reinforced the primary lessons of Columbine - police need to attack the shooter and EMS needs to start patient care in the warm zone.

Active shooter response using a Rescue Task Force has been refined through training and applying the lessons learned from each subsequent incident. Those improvements have likely resulted in lifesaving seconds for victims.

But improved EMS response isn’t fast enough. While state legislatures debate the necessity, efficacy and consequences of arming teachers, EMS agencies and fire departments are stepping into the breach to train students, teachers and other school personnel life-saving techniques to evade the shooter, secure classrooms , fight back and to treat the injured in their midst before EMS arrives.

Is your agency joining American Medical Response, Richmond Ambulance Authority, Fort Worth (Texas) firefighters, the Copeland (Pa.) Regional Trauma Council, and many others to train citizens to “Stop the Bleed”?

Parkland made a Columbine-level impact on EMS and police response. Teachers and students, through live social media broadcasts, brought the public into their hallways and classrooms as the incident unfolded.

All future active shooter incidents will be benchmarked against Columbine and Parkland. Public safety use of the victim-generated intel, which debuted in Parkland, being broadcast from inside the school, church, or business is the new benchmark. Every chief officer needs to understand how live video and status updates can be accessed and used to neutralize the shooter and treat victims.

Train better for active shooter response:

• How to avoid the most common active shooter training mistakes
• School shooting EMS, police response has to be faster
• EMS in the warm zone: Tactical medicine inter-agency training

Millennials, though they are more than one-third of the workforce, are still derided in social network discussions and demystified by conference panelists. While some leaders still lament millennials, the next generation entering the workforce is significantly different from their predecessors and will require leadership adaptations to contribute to their fullest. Linda Willing, a FireRescue1 advisory board member, introduces iGen to paramedic chiefs and fire chiefs.

For members of this new generation, iGen, total and constant connection isn’t even a choice; it’s just the way things are. Most of their social interaction takes place virtually rather than face-to-face. Even millennials hung out together in person. iGen experiences most of its social interaction online.

For EMS agencies and fire departments hiring these young people, it means that they may not have fully-developed social skills. They may lack expertise and confidence with in-person communication and conflict resolution.

In general, members of the youngest generation at work are by far the most inclusive and socially tolerant of all previous generations. They accept diversity as a fact of life and expect the workplace to be fair and welcoming to all. They will not be attracted to organizations that do not share these values.

People in iGen are less entrepreneurial than their predecessors and more averse to risk taking. They want security and safety in their lives, and therefore may be more attracted to stable employment than was expected during the Internet boom.

The newest generation wants to be part of a team and is willing to work hard. They may need more reassurance and support than previous generations, but they are also motivated to follow rules and respect others.

It is tempting to only see the challenges of any new generation that comes along. But organizations that only see negatives do so at a price: their own future. This newest generation at work is the only one you get. It is up to those with experience and wisdom to help them prepare for the challenges of the EMS and fire profession.

Prepare millennial medics to train, supervise iGen:

• The technical millennials: Energy, knowledge and a fresh perspective
• 6 steps for EMS leaders to better engage millennials
• 5 reasons millennials are better prepared to lead EMS

• Public patient death: Manatee County Emergency Medical Services was not prepared for the complaints and shifting expectations after a patient died in a park. Chief Paul DiCicco shares the hard lessons learned from this incident.
• “Alexa, start STEMI protocol:” The Inside EMS podcast discusses the Brewster Ambulance Service (Mass.) decision to install Amazon Echos in its ambulances to assist their workforce.
• Book recommendation: Looking for a book which mixes true crime, compelling storytelling, firefighting and police investigation? Here’s a match, “American Fire: Love, arson, and life in a vanishing land.”

Please share the Paramedic Chief Leadership Briefing with anyone you think would find it helpful. Forward this email to your command staff or field personnel, print and post in the day room or training lab, or reprint in your organization or regional EMS association newsletter.

Got a leadership tip, management question, commercial use inquiry, or an article idea? Send me an email at greg.friese@praetoriandigital.com