Active Threat Training Strengthens
County’s Response Capabilities
Over 40 First Responders Participate in 4-Day
Training including Live Simulations
Poughkeepsie, NY … Today, more than 40 first responders were on-scene for an active shooter situation in Poughkeepsie. Fortunately, the shots were all sound effects, and the active shooter was one of several experts and volunteers who were training local police, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) as part of the four day “Active Threat Integrated Response Course” hosted by Dutchess County Emergency Response, in partnership with the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
“Active threat situations require a swift and coordinated response. It is essential to train for such complex and challenging situations so our first responders can be prepared to effectively respond to save lives,” said Dutchess County Emergency Response Commissioner Dana Smith.
The course, taught by instructors from Louisiana State University’s (LSU) National Center for Biomedical Research and Training’s Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education, is a “train-the-trainer” program offered at no cost to local agencies through a federal grant. The course is designed to create a group of local, cross-disciplinary instructors who can then teach the curriculum to other first responders throughout Dutchess County. Today’s agenda included a series of live simulations of active shooter hostile events based on actual events that have occurred in the United States within the past decade. Exercises included tactical response practice and volunteers acting as “victims” who trainees located, treated in the field with methods such as applying tourniquets to mock-wounds, and then extracted from the site of the simulation to waiting EMS vehicles.
The event enabled agencies across disciplines, from fire and EMS to law enforcement and 9-1-1 dispatchers to work together to respond and mimicked the stress and chaos of a real event. Dutchess County’s Mobile Command Center was on site, facilitating radio communications and serving as a unified command center.
The training was held at 26 Oakley Street in the City of Poughkeepsie and is part of the County’s Active Shooter Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Subcommittee under its Domestic Terrorism & Targeted Violence Prevention Plan.
“With the completion of this course, we now have trainers available throughout the County to expand this critical training to all emergency response agencies. This significantly strengthens Dutchess County’s integrated response capabilities to ensure public safety at large scale events, schools, and other areas where an active threat event might occur,” said Emergency Response Deputy Commissioner Shawn Castano.
Many of the agencies participating had previously received grants the County’s Municipal Innovation Grant (MIG) program to offset the cost of purchasing ballistic protective equipment. Completion of this training was part of the grant funding requirement.
A total of 14 local agencies participated in the Active Threat Integrated Response training, including:
- Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response
- Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office
- New York State Police
- City of Poughkeepsie Police
- City of Beacon Police
- Town of Poughkeepsie Police
- Town of Hyde Park Police
- Arlington Fire Department
- LaGrange Fire Department
- Fairview Fire Department
- Pleasant Valley Fire Department
- City of Beacon Fire Department
- City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department
- Castle Point VA Hospital Fire Department
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino said, “While we pray there will never be a need for our dedicated first responders to face such situations, we must be prepared. Thank you to the volunteers of the ASHER subcommittee and our team at Emergency Response for bringing this vital training to Dutchess County. We are grateful to all those who participated in this training and will help us continue to strengthen our readiness and response capacity.”
