Moore First Responders Train For Mass Casualty Event

For three days more than 100 first responders and volunteer actors in Moore have been training to respond to the unthinkable: a school shooting.

The Moore Police Department, Fire Department, EMSTAT Paramedics, and Moore Public School have been doing this type of training since 2015.

“There’s no way to replicate this,” Moore Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Marlar said. “We make it as realistic as we can. With loudness chaos with communication, otherwise it’s just tabletop. Tabletops are great can’t replicate it unless it’s real life.” 

The agencies practice principles like the first officers on the scene entering the school to begin engaging with the suspect. Officers said their first priority is to stop the killing before they can help stop the dying of the injured.

Paramedics then triage the wounded, working to get the most critical patients help first.

“We are very passionate about it,” Moore Police Capt. Kevin Brown said. “We’re very passionate about keeping the kids safe, even keeping the adults safe. This could happen at any place.”

The scenarios use actors from Moore Public Schools and from around the community. Students like Senior Luke Peterson said they’re doing their part to help make their community safer.

“It makes me feel safe,” he said. “It makes me feel safe in the classroom when the school starts, around campus, at lunch things like that.”