PHOTO GALLERY: Natick Task Force Trains For Active Shooters

NATICK, MA—As of July this year, Natick's police and fire departments both became ready for deployment as a "Rescue Task Force" in the event of an active shooter or a similar situation.

It's pretty clear why a town or city would need a team like this, but it's harder than one may think to establish one, according to authorities.

On Oct. 31, the Rescue Task Force conducted one of its bi-monthly training in which the force practiced locating, treating and moving victims in a dynamic environment, as well as evaluating a number of methods of victim extraction. The training took place at Jordan's Furniture's IMAX theater.

"After a lot of research and attending many different programs or trainings, we implemented the Rescue Task Force model," Lt. Matt Mullen from the Natick Fire Department told Patch. "The fire department begin training its team members in a nationally accepted curriculum for tactical trauma care, NAEMT's Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC). This program is a civilian version of a program used by the US military for care under fire."

Natick has been planning and training for an active shooter response since 2015, and in the fall of 2016 they took part in the National Association of EMT's Tactical Emergency Casualty Care program. There, they were taught priorities in treating victims who are suffering from traumatic injuries.

After that training, police and fire started training together to best respond to these incidents as a unified front. The process is a way to work together and understand better each other's roles. Support from Natick Town Meeting allowed for the purchase of some much-needed protective gear, too.

"The Town of Natick is fortunate to have this team up and running," said Mullen, when asked if Natick is considered "ahead of the game." "To our best knowledge, there are only a handful of other town's in the Commonwealth to have an organized, trained team in place. Many towns are in the process of training staff or purchasing gear. As we continue to drill, other towns have reached out to us for information on how we are organized, trained and equipped. Natick continues to invite other towns to attend our trainings for observations and/or participation."

Mullen said the primary reason for the training is clearly for an active shooter situation, or some similar ballistic threat. But, as a team, it is working on training in a variety of environments and scenarios.

"This month's training is being held in a movie theater," said Mullen. "We have conducted evolutions in schools, malls, etc. We are actively working with area businesses and locations to coordinate future training locations."

Photos via Charles Goodwin, Natick Police