It's been one year since an airline passenger pulled out a gun, and started shooting in a terminal at the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.
It was a day of chaos, of fear, with 5 dead, 8 injured and thousands more stranded.
Reports on the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the Aviation Department at the airport found that both could improve on their mass shooting response.
Collectively, both have made 14 improvements to the way they respond.
Annika Dean, a survivor of the shooting, has made some changes in her life too.
"Mostly I've just reflected, that I'm really grateful that I had this year. I could have died," said Dean.
Dean could have died one year ago when deputies say Esteban Santiago began shooting inches away from her.
"I couldn't evacuate, I couldn't leave the doors because I would have been directly in his path. I just looked for my best cover and there really wasn't any cover but I hid on the other side of a smart cart and I just laid there," said Dean.
It changed the way she looks at things.
"I'm not totally over this. I'm definitely a little weary when I'm in public. I'm a little more aware of my surroundings and cautious than I otherwise would have been," said Dean.
So is the Broward County Aviation Department. In the last year, they held an airport-wide drill with the Sheriff's Office to test its emergency response and communications.
"We did have two other incidents when we were on the ground where we thought it might be a terrorist situation," said Dean.
90 minutes after the shooting, law enforcement thought there was another situation, and the words "shots fired" spread chaos through the airport, partly because they were was widely heard over radio transmissions.
Since then, they've also given earplugs to all field personnel, to prevent the broadcasting of sensitive information.
They are lessons learned; lessons Dean is trying to teach her sons as well.
"I like to stay together and know where they are at all times. I just want to them to think when they go into places you know that things can happen and how can they best be safe, what can they do," said Dean.
Here is a full list of what has changed since the shooting on January 6, 2017.
The Broward County's Sheriff Office:
Our response to the initial active killer incident remains the same and will not be changed due to the proven success of having the subject in custody within 80 seconds. BSO deputies are prepared and trained to run into danger to ensure public safety and this protocol will continue.
What occurred 90 minutes later was influenced by human behavior and a perceived level of fear for personal safety. However, improvements can occur and under Sheriff Israel’s direction BSO has:
1- Increased patrols to include deputies carrying patrol rifles
2- Implemented a new program - Incident Containment Team (ICT) which is staffed by FLL assigned deputies who are/will receive enhanced training for a threat response
3- Implemented a new program – In addition to the current team of Bomb Detection K9’s, BSO invested in Vapor Wake K9’s that are used to detect explosive material without the need to identify a scent from a specific package
4- Provided refresher knowledge and training to command regarding self-dispatching, staging areas and the abandonment of vehicles on scene
5- Sheriff Israel met with the Broward County Police Chiefs at Sunrise PD shortly after the incident to discuss the need for inter-agency communication and multi-agency training.
The Broward County Aviation Department:
I. The Broward County Aviation Department (BCAD) has procured earpieces to be used by all field personnel to prevent public broadcasting of sensitive information; Broward Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement will utilize earpieces in the Emergency Operations Center. Deputies have earpieces or shoulder worn mics/radios for communication. Additionally, large quantities of supplies (such as water, cots, and personal hygiene kits) for passenger aid have been procured by BCAD to be used in the event of another airport emergency.
II. The airport’s partner for Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue response, (BSO), has reaffirmed its procedures for responding agencies to report to a designated staging location for controlled deployment to an airport emergency.
III. BCAD has significantly upgraded its Airport Emergency Operations Center (EOC) which will improve the coordination during an airport emergency response and recovery.
IV. To date, BCAD has offered 35, four-hour Airport Security Awareness training classes, which will continue to be offered to all airport employees.
V. BCAD organized and held an airport security-related tabletop exercise at Port Everglades on October 27, 2017. The tabletop drill was attended by BCAD, BSO, Fire Rescue, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Bureau of Investigations, (FBI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), City of Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and airport tenants. The scenario involved an active threat at the airport, which tested response, unified command and control, and communication.
VI. BCAD held a full-scale airport-wide drill on December 1, 2017 to test its emergency response and communications during an airport incident. The drill tested the airport and its service partners’ response to an aircraft emergency, including fire rescue, medical, patient transport, the airport’s Family Reception Center and activation of its EOC. Participants included BCAD, BSO Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue, TSA, Mutual Aid responders, local media/mobile Joint Information Center, and hospitals.
VII. BCAD has acquired the ability to access the Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS), which will enable the airport to conduct mass communication with members of the public.
VIII. Currently, all employees who are issued an airport security access-ID, review an active shooter video. BCAD has begun the development of an airport-wide emergency training program to be required for all airport employees beginning in 2018. The training will consist of airport familiarization, communication to passengers, employee evacuation procedures and best practices, basic first aid, and a customer service module.
IX. BCAD in partnership with law enforcement and Airport Stakeholders has begun the planning for an active shooter live drill to be conducted in April 2018.
