MTA Emergency Response 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A transit officer is involved in a pursuit of a suspect who collapses and becomes unresponsive. The officer discovers the suspect has no pulse. What is the correct action?
- Handcuff the suspect before providing any medical aid
- Begin CPR immediately regardless of the suspect's criminal status (Correct answer)
- Wait for EMS since the suspect is in custody
- Restrain the suspect's hands and monitor breathing only
Correct answer: Begin CPR immediately regardless of the suspect's criminal status
Officers have a duty of care for all individuals in their custody or presence; CPR must begin immediately for any person without a pulse.
Question 2: During an active shooter situation in a transit hub, officers are trained to follow the 'ALERRT' or 'Stop the Threat' protocol. What is the PRIMARY goal of the first responding officers?
- Establish a secure perimeter and wait for SWAT
- Move toward the threat and stop the killing as quickly as possible (Correct answer)
- Evacuate all officers from the building first
- Conduct a building-wide search before locating the shooter
Correct answer: Move toward the threat and stop the killing as quickly as possible
Modern active shooter doctrine directs first responders to immediately move toward the threat to stop the killing rather than wait for specialized units.
Question 3: A bus driver radios that a passenger aboard a moving bus is threatening others with a knife and the bus cannot stop safely. An officer intercepts the bus. The FIRST step upon boarding should be:
- Immediately draw a firearm and order the suspect down
- Coordinate with the driver on the suspect's location before boarding (Correct answer)
- Order all passengers off the bus through the rear door first
- Board the front of the bus and advance toward the suspect alone
Correct answer: Coordinate with the driver on the suspect's location before boarding
Coordinating with the driver before boarding establishes the suspect's position, number of passengers at risk, and the safest entry point.
Question 4: A transit officer witnesses a serious train derailment. Multiple passengers appear injured inside the train cars. Which task should be performed FIRST?
- Board the train cars and begin triaging victims
- Establish a command post and request mass casualty resources (Correct answer)
- Interview uninjured passengers about what they saw
- Direct all injured passengers to walk to the platform
Correct answer: Establish a command post and request mass casualty resources
A mass casualty incident requires establishing command and securing adequate resources before individual triage begins.
Question 5: When setting up a perimeter at an emergency scene in a transit station, which factor is MOST important in determining the size of the perimeter?
- The number of officers available at the time
- The nature of the threat and potential blast or hazard radius (Correct answer)
- The wishes of station management regarding passenger disruption
- The distance at which the media is positioned
Correct answer: The nature of the threat and potential blast or hazard radius
The type and magnitude of the hazard — not staffing levels or public relations concerns — determines the appropriate perimeter size.
Question 6: A transit officer encounters a passenger having a severe allergic reaction, with hives and difficulty breathing. A bystander offers the passenger's prescribed epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen). The officer should:
- Refuse to administer the EpiPen and only call EMS
- Assist the passenger in using their own EpiPen and call EMS (Correct answer)
- Administer the EpiPen to the patient's neck for fastest effect
- Wait to see if the reaction worsens before using the EpiPen
Correct answer: Assist the passenger in using their own EpiPen and call EMS
Officers should assist the patient in administering their own prescribed epinephrine and immediately call EMS, as anaphylaxis can be rapidly fatal.
Question 7: After a major emergency at a transit station has been resolved, an officer is directed to preserve the scene. What does proper scene preservation primarily ensure?
- That the station reopens as quickly as possible
- That physical evidence is maintained for investigation purposes (Correct answer)
- That media representatives can document the aftermath
- That passengers can retrieve lost items immediately
Correct answer: That physical evidence is maintained for investigation purposes
Scene preservation ensures that physical evidence remains intact and uncontaminated for investigators to accurately reconstruct the incident.
MTA Emergency Response 5
A transit officer is involved in a pursuit of a suspect who collapses and becomes unresponsive.
The officer discovers the suspect has no pulse.
What is the correct action?