The heroes of tomorrow were forged at the Bucks County Rescue Squad in Bristol Township recently.
The Bucks County Rescue Squad hosted training for how to deal with mass shooting events and improvised explosive device (IED) scenarios. The event was named the Columbine Mile, named after the 1999 mass killing at a Colorado high school.
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“This training is becoming more and more important,” Bucks County Rescue Squad Deputy Chief Joe Hayes during a break in the action.
During the training, participants had lectures, demonstrations and a written exam. It was during the demonstrations where those who attended got involved.
Local high school students took part in the Columbine Mile exercise, which tested their ability to respond to real world stress when trying to save lives in mass casualty events.
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According to background information provided by Hayes, attendees are trained to save the most salvageable lives after assessing the situation in a realistic way.
“While it is impossible to duplicate the actual chaos and carnage of a real mass shooting or IED attack, the Columbine Mile is designed to maximally challenge the students to quickly and effectively save the most salvageable lives possible in an intense, stress filled scenario,” Hayes said in an e-mail.
During the training flashing lights, screaming “injured” civilians, and blaring recordings of police vehicles ensured that those participating experienced stress to make the situation more realistic.
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Training like the one recently held by the rescue squad have become more common since the September 11, 2001 attacks and recent mass casualty incidents.
