Critical Incident Preparedness and Response

Critical Incident Preparedness and Response

CRCC - HOST A TRAINING
FIRST RESPONDERS - HOST A TRAINING

Tragic events in the Commonwealth over the last two decades serve as a reminder of the need to be prepared. From the rampage of the Washington, D.C. snipers to the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy (2002) and the horror at Virginia Tech (2007) to the shootings in Virginia Beach (2019), it is evident that these life threatening situations happen suddenly, unexpectedly and without geographic discrimination.  

The DCJS Critical Incident Preparedness and Response Section (CIPR) exists to help achieve the goals of preparedness and protection for the entire Commonwealth. Formerly known as the Active Attack Program, founded in 2020 and later expanded into CIPR, this training section offers both first responder and community-focused courses to help keep Virginia prepared. This statewide initiative promotes safety preparedness through the “Whole Community Approach.” The days of citizens hiding and hoping until help arrives are no longer an acceptable form of mitigation. DCJS strives to build a culture of preparedness where each citizen recognizes and takes ownership as a stakeholder in their own safety, as Immediate Responders equipped to Avoid, Deny, and Defend against active attacks. As First Responders from Virginia’s Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS communities arrive, the highest degree of efficiency in their integrated efforts to stop the killing and stop the dying is expected. To accomplish this cooperative effort, there must be a standardized approach to integration that reduces the impact a disaster like this can have on communities. The DCJS CIPR Team deliberately and intentionally encourages all citizens and first responders to work together, specifically within the area of active attack threat management. This program provides training opportunities through a new partnership with the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University, which has become the national standard in civilian and law enforcement response to active attack events. The goal is for Virginia to become a national model in training citizens alongside first responders, empowering resilience, strengthening response efforts, and fostering a culture of preparedness across the Commonwealth.

Critical Incident Preparedness and Response Training Courses

The DCJS Critical Incident Preparedness and Response Team's "Whole Community Approach" requires training for Virginia's citizens and first responders to enable them to work together when an active attack occurs to stop the killing and stop the dying. Available training courses are listed at the links below. These courses are offered upon request to community organizations, school divisions, institutions of higher education, law enforcement agencies and Fire/EMS. Please review the course descriptions, eligibility, and hosting requirements and complete the form to request a training.

Community-Focused Courses Offered

First Responder Courses Offered