MECHANICSBURG – On July 23, the Mechanicsburg Fire Department along with the Mechanicsburg Police Department conducted a joint training session to prepare for the unfortunate possibility of an “active shooter” event.
With an increase in nationwide occurrences of this nature, no community is immune (whether rural or metropolitan) from becoming a possible victim of this kind of violence.
“It is for this reason that we take a proactive approach and do what we must do to prepare for an unfortunate event of this nature,” the fire department said in a prepared statement.
Mechanicsburg Assistant Fire Chief/EMS Coordinator Steve Castle made the necessary arrangements to have this training session conducted and accredited through the “Dayton Metropolitain Medical Response system” (Dayton MMRS).
Completion of this training allows the Mechanicsburg Fire and Police Departments to utilize a “Rescue Task Force (RTF)” teams approach when executing treatments and extrications of active shooter victims.
An RTF team would consist of two law enforcement officers along with two EMS providers who would make entry into hostile environments for the purpose of treating and removing injured victims. The Dayton MMRS, which is a regional asset, provided all necessary equipment and training material to the Mechanicsburg Fire Department to ensure successful local implementation if ever needed.
