A crisis actor, also known as patient-actor or victim-actor, is an actor trained and able to portray a victim of a disaster, during a training emergency drill for police, firefighters or emergency services personnel. Crisis actors are used to create reliable simulations of disasters, to allow emergency services to practice their skills and help prepare and train for realistic, large-scale future scenarios.[1][2][3][4][5][6].
The term has also been used by conspiracy theorists who claim that some mass shootings and other terrorist attacks are staged by crisis actors and organized to promote various political objectives.[7].
Disaster simulations
Crisis actors take on the role of victims and simulate specific injuries from a disaster to add realism during a simulation exercise. Theatrical makeup, as well as rubber and latex apparatus, is often used to depict certain wounds or medical conditions that realistically represent the victims' injuries, a practice known as medical moulage.[8][9][10].
Actors playing journalists, victims' families, and concerned citizens may also be used during drills to increase drama. In this way, the way emergency services act in the face of demands and requests with a great emotional charge can be analyzed.[11].
Conspiracy theories
In the United States, the term has been used by conspiracy theorists who claim that some mass shootings and other terrorist acts are staged to promote various political objectives.[7] Use of the term by conspiracy theorists is believed to have originated in 2012, when a blog by former teacher and conspiracy theorist James Tracy suggested that the government may have hired an acting agency called Visionbox to help stage the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The Visionbox agency offered dramatic training to actors with the intention of helping "bring intense realism to the simulation of mass casualty incidents in public places."[12]
Tracy also promoted the hypothesis that crisis actors were involved in the Boston Marathon bombing.[12][13] Conspiracy theorists have falsely claimed that these attacks are "false flag operations" organized by government or business forces to achieve some particular objective, such as justifying increased surveillance of the population, reducing citizens' use of weapons, or initiating military action against the alleged guilty nation or groups. In this context, it is stated that crisis actors play the roles of bystanders or witnesses, emergency response personnel and (with the help of stage makeup) victims injured in said attack.
Simulation of disaster response
Introduction
A crisis actor, also known as patient-actor or victim-actor, is an actor trained and able to portray a victim of a disaster, during a training emergency drill for police, firefighters or emergency services personnel. Crisis actors are used to create reliable simulations of disasters, to allow emergency services to practice their skills and help prepare and train for realistic, large-scale future scenarios.[1][2][3][4][5][6].
The term has also been used by conspiracy theorists who claim that some mass shootings and other terrorist attacks are staged by crisis actors and organized to promote various political objectives.[7].
Disaster simulations
Crisis actors take on the role of victims and simulate specific injuries from a disaster to add realism during a simulation exercise. Theatrical makeup, as well as rubber and latex apparatus, is often used to depict certain wounds or medical conditions that realistically represent the victims' injuries, a practice known as medical moulage.[8][9][10].
Actors playing journalists, victims' families, and concerned citizens may also be used during drills to increase drama. In this way, the way emergency services act in the face of demands and requests with a great emotional charge can be analyzed.[11].
Conspiracy theories
In the United States, the term has been used by conspiracy theorists who claim that some mass shootings and other terrorist acts are staged to promote various political objectives.[7] Use of the term by conspiracy theorists is believed to have originated in 2012, when a blog by former teacher and conspiracy theorist James Tracy suggested that the government may have hired an acting agency called Visionbox to help stage the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The Visionbox agency offered dramatic training to actors with the intention of helping "bring intense realism to the simulation of mass casualty incidents in public places."[12]
Proponents of this conspiracy theory include Alex Jones and outlets such as True Pundit.[14][15][13][16] In April 2018, the parents of two children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting filed a defamation lawsuit against Jones, accusing him and his website InfoWars of engaging in a "campaign of false, cruel and dangerous claims."[17] In November In 2021, Jones was found guilty after failing to provide documents to the court, although he announced that he would appeal the decision. In August 2022, the jury in Heslin v. Jones ordered Jones to pay $4.1 million in compensatory damages and $45.2 million in punitive damages. During the trial, Jones admitted that the Sandy Hook shooting was "100% real." and agreed with his own lawyer that it was "absolutely irresponsible" to spread falsehoods about the shooting and its victims.[22].
During the 2023 war between Israel and Hamas "Israel-Gaza War (2023-present)"), accusations circulated on social media that victims on both sides were crisis actors.[23][24][25].
References
[1] ↑ «Crisis Actors. Trained Players and Actors Making It Real» (en inglés). Crisis Actors. Archivado desde el original el 25 de junio de 2014. Consultado el 5 de marzo de 2024. «Helping schools and first responders create realistic drills, full-scale exercises, high-fidelity simulations, and interactive 3D films».: https://web.archive.org/web/20140625040100/http://crisisactors.org/
[5] ↑ Gillett, Brian (2008). «Simulation in a Disaster Drill: Comparison of High-fidelity Simulators versus Trained Actors». Academic Emergency Medicine (en inglés) 15 (11): 1144-1151. PMID 18717651. doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00198.x.: https://es.wikipedia.org//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18717651
[6] ↑ Fagel, Michael J. (4 de diciembre de 2013). Crisis Management and Emergency Planning: Preparing for Today's Challenges (en inglés). CRC Press. pp. 338-. ISBN 978-1-4665-5505-1.: https://books.google.com/books?id=nCEtAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA338
[8] ↑ J. Merica, Bobbie (22 de noviembre de 2011). Medical Moulage: How to Make Your Simulations Come Alive (en inglés). F.A. Davis. pp. 32-. ISBN 978-0-8036-2648-5.: https://books.google.com/books?id=hX_2AAAAQBAJ&pg=PR32
[11] ↑ Charlotte J. Hiatt (1 de enero de 2000). A Primer for Disaster Recovery Planning in an IT Environment (en inglés). Idea Group Inc (IGI). pp. 228-. ISBN 978-1-878289-81-0.: https://books.google.com/books?id=57bMejF-nk4C&pg=PA228
[21] ↑ Williamson, Elizabeth (4 de agosto de 2022). «A jury said Alex Jones must pay $4 million to the parents of a boy killed at Sandy Hook». The New York Times (en inglés). ISSN 0362-4331. Consultado el 5 de marzo de 2024.: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/04/us/alex-jones-sandy-hook
Tracy also promoted the hypothesis that crisis actors were involved in the Boston Marathon bombing.[12][13] Conspiracy theorists have falsely claimed that these attacks are "false flag operations" organized by government or business forces to achieve some particular objective, such as justifying increased surveillance of the population, reducing citizens' use of weapons, or initiating military action against the alleged guilty nation or groups. In this context, it is stated that crisis actors play the roles of bystanders or witnesses, emergency response personnel and (with the help of stage makeup) victims injured in said attack.
Proponents of this conspiracy theory include Alex Jones and outlets such as True Pundit.[14][15][13][16] In April 2018, the parents of two children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting filed a defamation lawsuit against Jones, accusing him and his website InfoWars of engaging in a "campaign of false, cruel and dangerous claims."[17] In November In 2021, Jones was found guilty after failing to provide documents to the court, although he announced that he would appeal the decision. In August 2022, the jury in Heslin v. Jones ordered Jones to pay $4.1 million in compensatory damages and $45.2 million in punitive damages. During the trial, Jones admitted that the Sandy Hook shooting was "100% real." and agreed with his own lawyer that it was "absolutely irresponsible" to spread falsehoods about the shooting and its victims.[22].
During the 2023 war between Israel and Hamas "Israel-Gaza War (2023-present)"), accusations circulated on social media that victims on both sides were crisis actors.[23][24][25].
References
[1] ↑ «Crisis Actors. Trained Players and Actors Making It Real» (en inglés). Crisis Actors. Archivado desde el original el 25 de junio de 2014. Consultado el 5 de marzo de 2024. «Helping schools and first responders create realistic drills, full-scale exercises, high-fidelity simulations, and interactive 3D films».: https://web.archive.org/web/20140625040100/http://crisisactors.org/
[5] ↑ Gillett, Brian (2008). «Simulation in a Disaster Drill: Comparison of High-fidelity Simulators versus Trained Actors». Academic Emergency Medicine (en inglés) 15 (11): 1144-1151. PMID 18717651. doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00198.x.: https://es.wikipedia.org//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18717651
[6] ↑ Fagel, Michael J. (4 de diciembre de 2013). Crisis Management and Emergency Planning: Preparing for Today's Challenges (en inglés). CRC Press. pp. 338-. ISBN 978-1-4665-5505-1.: https://books.google.com/books?id=nCEtAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA338
[8] ↑ J. Merica, Bobbie (22 de noviembre de 2011). Medical Moulage: How to Make Your Simulations Come Alive (en inglés). F.A. Davis. pp. 32-. ISBN 978-0-8036-2648-5.: https://books.google.com/books?id=hX_2AAAAQBAJ&pg=PR32
[11] ↑ Charlotte J. Hiatt (1 de enero de 2000). A Primer for Disaster Recovery Planning in an IT Environment (en inglés). Idea Group Inc (IGI). pp. 228-. ISBN 978-1-878289-81-0.: https://books.google.com/books?id=57bMejF-nk4C&pg=PA228
[21] ↑ Williamson, Elizabeth (4 de agosto de 2022). «A jury said Alex Jones must pay $4 million to the parents of a boy killed at Sandy Hook». The New York Times (en inglés). ISSN 0362-4331. Consultado el 5 de marzo de 2024.: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/04/us/alex-jones-sandy-hook