Our Mission Statement for Critical Incident Planning and Training Section:
“ The mission of the Critical Incident Planning and Training Section (CIPTS) is to provide comprehensive training, support, and analysis for the command and management of large-scale, all risk, emergency incidents and specialized training events for the Los Angeles Fire Department and its urban area partners.”

Our intent is to standardize regional training through NIMS/NRP simulation-based and practical training exercises. The section consists of four units including:

Exercise Unit: Responsible for “design, develop, and deliver all risk exercises and simulation-based training for emergency responders, support personnel and civilian populace within the Los Angeles region”. Additionally, the exercise unit plans, coordinates, and oversees internal and multi-agency exercises, which include Table-Top Exercises (TTX), Functional Exercises (FEX), & Full Scale Exercises (FSX).

Special Training Projects Unit: Responsible for After Action Reviews (AAR) for significant incidents internally and assists outside agencies with Post Incident Analysis’, coordinate development of the California Joint Training Symposium, coordinate and develop “Tactical Decision Games (TDG’s)”.

Command Post Unit: Responsible for the training, maintenance, and deployment of the 2 command vehicles assigned to the unit. These units can be deployed to an incident or pre-planned event to assist the incident commanders in both tactical and strategic planning through real time intelligence and data collection. Additionally, this unique type of command platform allows multiple agencies to work together in a Unified Command setting that provides for enhanced communications, intelligence, and real time situational awareness to assist in the stabilization of an incident, which provides for not only the safety of the community we serve but firefighters as well.

Regional Training Unit: Provides comprehensive training, support, and analysis for the Management of Large-Scale Emergency Incidents and specialized training events through the use of pre-established regional standard operating procedures (SOP’s) for the Los Angeles Fire Department and Urban Area partners.

The Section interfaces with governmental and regional agencies including Law Enforcement, all branches of the Armed Forces, FBI, Los Angeles World Airport, and the United States Secret Service to strengthen and enhance Unified Command positions. The Critical Incident Planning and Training Section develops and presents Post Incident Analysis and After Action Reports for significant incidents internally and for other fire agencies. The Section also provides both mobile and fixed based simulation Command and WMD/ Terrorist related training exercises, such as the Tactical Interoperability Communications Plan (TICP) that was required by the federal government, whereas all first responders would provide for the ability to have designated radio channels patched together allowing for common communication lines to be shared amongst numerous agencies in the event of a terrorist event. The LAFD was not only one of the first agencies to complete this Nation wide requirement, but set the bar with our allied local agencies in completing the task early last year.

The Critical Incident Planning and Training Section, formally known as the Tactical Training Section, formally known as the Tactical Training Group, falls under the direction of the Homeland Security Division. The genesis of the Tactical Training Section was derived from the federal government requiring areas Nation wide that have been identified of being “at risk” for potential acts of terrorism to form local county and city areas to standardize training into geographical areas or regions, this initiative is better known as the “Urban Area Security Initiative” (UASI) requiring first responders to standardize training to include training locations such as chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological, and explosives (CBRNE) sites, common Incident Command Structure (ICS), Unified Command Procedures and guidelines, Field Operations Guideline Manual (FOG) and radio terminology to name a few.

Currently the LAFD Critical Incident Planning and Training Section is one of the leaders of UASI Region 1 Area A that encompasses a total of 31 fire departments, and assists in the delivery of simulation-based training throughout the region. The various methods of delivering these types of training can be accomplished through either our simulation lab here at FHMTC, our UASI funded 42’ simulation trailer, and most importantly the 30 “Area Training Officers” (ATO’s) that represent the 31 fire departments in our region that disseminate the information to their respective agencies.

OUR GOAL:
Is to design, develop, and deliver exercises and simulation based training pertaining to a possible WMD/Terrorist incident for Fire/Rescue, Law Enforcement and EMS resources in the Los Angeles Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) region.

“In a disaster, you don’t rise to the level of the situation, you sink to the level of your training.” “First responders to terror attacks will tell you their ability to perform when it isn’t a drill has everything to do with how they performed when it was a drill.” “Train as if you life depends on it, because it does”.

Welcome to the Critical Incident Planning and Training Section
Thanks for visiting.

Don’t forget to visit the Tactical Decision Games Link as well as the Incident Reports Link on the left side of the page.

The LA/LB UASI Regional Training Unit (RTU) is open and wanting to hear from Agencies in the LA/LB UASI area.  The RTU has recently been re-opened and is providing fire simulation training to Area Departments.   If your agency is interested in hosting a training class please contact the RTU at the LAFD, Critical Incident Planning and Training Section at (213) 485-3656 for more information.