Active Shooter Drill Scheduled for Saturday Nov. 19 at Skagit Valley College

Skagit County, WA – Skagit County Law Enforcement, Fire Departments, Emergency Medical Service, Hospitals and other first responders  from around the County will hold a mock “Active Shooter Training Drill” this Saturday, November 19th at the Skagit Valley College Campus in Mount Vernon.

The drill has been in the planning stages for nearly a year and will consist of over sixteen agencies, 35+ mock victims, 45+ EMT’s  and multiple local resources working together.    In light of  the recent shooting incident at the Cascade Mall, organizers want the public to know, this is just a drill.  Organizers are doing everything they can to ensure  they are giving the community advanced notification  through multiple different avenues of  this critical training exercise so they do not create panic within the community during the training on Saturday.

Those  living or working near the Skagit Valley College Campus  can expect to see ambulances, Swat Teams, Tactical police teams, and fire vehicles converge in the parking lot near McIntyre Hall between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday November 19th.  Some units will be staging prior to the event at Centennial School and will “respond” to the scene from that staging location.

Police, fire and EMS personnel from multiple agencies  will also be moving in teams around the college, into buildings, and into mock triage facilities situated near campus.

 The drill also includes participation from Skagit Regional Health emergency staff.  Ambulances will transport mock victims (including fake injuries and fake blood)  to Skagit Valley Hospital and the Riverbend Urgent Care Clinic. Those participating in the drills will treat the patients as if they had real injuries.   This portion of the drill gives hospital staff a chance to practice their emergency plans for triaging and treating a large number of wounded.

Those out and about on Saturday, Nov. 19, should expect extra traffic near Skagit Valley College and Skagit Regional Health facilities. Facilitators for the exercise also ask the public to please avoid the Skagit Valley College grounds until the afternoon so training can proceed without interruption.

 “It’s crucial that our police, fire EMS and local hospitals can work together seamlessly when an incident like this occurs,” said Earl Klinefelter, Skagit County EMS Mass Casualty Incident coordinator. “This drill gives our first responders a chance to apply their training to a scenario that’s incredibly realistic, and assess ways that we can more effectively and efficiently respond to this type of emergency.”

The half-day exercise will involve more than 16 local agencies, including the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Vernon Police Department, Mount Vernon and Skagit County fire departments, and regional Emergency Medical Service providers. All the participants in the exercise will respond to the drill as if it were a real event. This means you will see them running lights and sirens towards the College during the event. DO NOT BE ALARMED, THIS IS ONLY A DRILL.

Skagit County Paramedic Association IAFF L3427 shared the following on their Facebook Page “Central Skagit Medics starting initial training, led by Jeff Brown, for active shooter scenarios. This training as Rescue Task Force will involve joint training and efforts with local law enforcement and fire departments. The training is to allow us to reach patients faster, stay safe within a police formation, to allow us to continue to serve the public with the best training and medical services we can.

Following the drill, participants will complete an after-action exercise designed to evaluate what aspects of the exercise went well, and where they can improve their collaborative efforts.

Organizers have been asked by the public how they can help or volunteer with the mock drill?  While they love the interest from the community, they’ve got all the participants already set up.  We suggest if you are interested in volunteering with a local emergency response organization, visit your local volunteer fire department, join the Community C.E.R.T team or check out the Skagit County Volunteer Search and Rescue website for multiple volunteer opportunities. The best thing the community can do to help with the mock drill is to let your friends, family and neighbors know that it is going to happen so no one is caught off guard when they see the large police, fire and ems presence on Saturday Morning.

For more information about Skagit Valley College’s role in the active shooter drill, including what staff and students can expect to see Nov. 19, please contact Arden Ainley at arden.ainley@skagit.edu or 360-416-7716.

 

Information provided by Bronlea Mishler, Skagit County D.E.M via a press release.