NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Getting medical personnel in to treat victims quickly can save lives in a school shooting tragedy, Duval County School Police Chief Jackson Short said Thursday.
Short said that was one issue that several local agencies were focused on during training exercises at several Beaches school campuses.
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“One of the lessons that we as a country have learned in the past is that not getting that first aid in there fast enough (can cost lives),” Short said.
The Neptune Beach Police Department held a training simulation at Fletcher High School from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Duval County School Police and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and the police departments from Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach held exercises at Mayport Middle and Elementary schools.
“While we all pray that we never have an active shooter scenario in Jacksonville, it’s important that we test our tactical and technological readiness should such a tragic event occur,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said. “Nothing is more precious than our kids. This simulation is a testament to our first responders’ commitment to safeguard our children and our community’s schools.”
Short acknowledged that the recent deadly shooting on the campus of Florida State University hit close to home as the agencies prepared for Thursday’s training.
“It’s important that we take them seriously and that we are prepared to respond,” Short said.
He explained how the training exercise would work.
“We will have role players simulating victims that have been attacked by a shooter at one of our schools, and our first responders will be responding to this crisis site,” Short said. “In addition to addressing the shooter, our role players will also simulate victims that our first responders will treat with first aid.”
The exercise will also test the agencies’ ability to reunify students with their families at an off-site location amid an ongoing tragedy.
Short said it’s the fourth straight year that Duval County School Police have done such a training exercise, but it’s the first time they’ve done it using a campus at the Beaches.
He said it was important for them to test the “massive mutual aid response” that would happen if anything were to take place at a beaches school.
The event helps first responders with hands-on training to ensure they are prepared to respond effectively in the event of a real public-school emergency scenario.
“In an active shooter situation, every second counts. Effective coordination between law enforcement and JFRD can make the difference between loss and survival,” said JFRD Chief of Rescue Jake Blanton. “Without this seamless collaboration victims may remain untreated for too long, thereby increasing casualties.”
Short said just as law enforcement agencies are taking the opportunity during summer break to train, he asks families to take time during the break to make sure they are familiar with DCPS safety protocols and the Fortify FL app.
