(ATLANTA, Ga.) — Atlanta Police and Fire conduct active shooter training exercises in Oakland Cemetery just two weeks after a mass shooting in Midtown.
“This training really helps us to prepare for the unknown,” Atlanta Fire Rescue Chief Roderick Smith said. “We try to pick those locations that are not ideal...and force them to adapt and work together and ultimately overcome the scenario.”
In one scenario, officers respond to a mass casualty event where the shooter has killed himself, and they’re responsible for securing the scene and rendering aid. In another, they respond to an active shooter and confront him. Each training teaches the first responders to engage immediately.
“Rapid response by law enforcement to save lives,” said Paul Merritt, an instructor for the Critical Incident Response Unit. The quick response played a critical role during the Midtown shooting. “One of our officers saved the life of one of the victims by applying a tourniquet which allowed medics to get her to Grady and save her life,” he explained.
On May 3, police said 24-year-old Deion Patterson opened fire in the waiting room of a Northside Hospital medical office, killing one woman and wounding four others. This was the second mass shooting in midtown in less than a year.
The departments hold these exercises on a regular basis and in different locations to ensure first responders can be effective in whatever environment a shooting may occur.
“The reason they’re able to rise to the occasion like we saw two weeks ago is because they do this over and over and over,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. “So if they have to put their lives on the line to save lives, then they’re able to do so.”
While the exercise was underway, Oakland Avenue was shut down to allow emergency vehicle parking.