LOCAL

Active threat training brings Guernsey County first responders together

Heather Sevigny

Correspondent

Sheriff's department personnel and medics carry a victim to the ambulance as part of the training offered by the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training.

Area law enforcement agencies, EMS, firefighters, and the Guernsey County Emergency Management Agency teamed up with Louisiana State University (LSU) recently to partake in Active Integrated Threat Management training. The federally funded program stems from the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training/Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education (NCBRT/ACE) at LSU.

The three-day long program consisted of two full classroom training days that took place at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center. The program was originally scheduled to take place in 2020. Due to Covid, the program had to be re-scheduled, and close to 50 local first responders from both Guernsey and Noble Counties were able to benefit from the re-scheduled training.

Law enforcement secures the outside of the building during one of the live role-playing scenarios at the high school for threat training.

After completing the two days of classroom work, trainees participated in four different live-action scenarios at Cambridge High School. Numerous members of the community volunteered their time to portray victims at the school. Fake wounds were applied to the volunteers to help re-create what responders could potentially face in a real-life situation.

The scenarios varied in both length and difficulty, with the instructors mixing things up unbeknownst to the trainees. After completing each scenario, which included the 'victims' being transported outside to the waiting EMS vehicles, instructors made notes on the positive actions they noticed are also where tweaks could be made.

When asked how he thought the training went, Cambridge Fire Chief Jeff Deeks said "Overall I'm very satisfied with everything. LSU has done a great job for us. We have to be prepared to be the best we can be." On putting the actual training into use he said "We have to. If we don't use it, we lose it. It's kind of like your EMS skills, you've got to keep up on it, and listen to different techniques, different maneuvers. This is going to be a team effort if something like this would ever happen."

Cambridge Mayor Tom Orr states "I'm very thankful we're doing this. It's just very sad that this is what we have to do in our world. Our job is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best."