Natick Fire, Police Train For Active Shooter Scenarios

NATICK, MA—Since July, Natick's police and fire departments have been ready to go and available for deployment as a “Rescue Task Force” in the event of an active shooter or similar situation.

"The need for this team may be obvious, but the process to establish one is very complex," said a joint announcement from the departments.

Since 2015, Natick has been planning and training for a response to an active shooter situation. Members of the fire department began training in the fall of 2016, participating in the National Association of EMT’s Tactical Emergency Casualty Care program.

This training program is designed for response to an active shooter type event. Members are taught priorities in treating many victims suffering from traumatic injuries typically sustained in these events, continues the announcement. Once the medical training was completed, the police department and fire department began

training together to best respond to these incidents.

"This process has been an excellent opportunity to work together and better understand each other’s roles and responsibilities in these incidents," said the release. "By regularly working and training together, the rescue task force is able to respond more efficiently in the event of an incident."

Natick Town Meeting approved the purchase of protective gear for the members of both departments. Each member of the rescue task force has been outfitted with ballistic vest, helmet and goggles. Also Active Shooter Response bags have been purchased, stocked and distributed throughout the department for easy deployment.

On Oct. 31, the Rescue Task Force will be conducting one of their bi-monthly trainings. During this training event, the task force will practice locating, treating and moving victims in a dynamic environment, as well as evaluating a number of methods of victim extraction.

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