Between 2000 and 2019, 43 states and Washington DC all experienced at least one active shooter situation, according to a report by the FBI. One hospital here in Utah is preparing for the worst with some training.
Staff at St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City, emergency medical service providers, and local law enforcement worked together earlier this week to train for what to do in case of an active shooter incident.
Carli Cervantes, the trauma program director for St. Mark’s Hospital, said practicing for emergencies like this helps ensure they are prepared to help as many people as possible.
“It's really good to fail, while you're practicing so that you get all of those bugs worked out, you can really find out how your system works," said Cervantes. "So that if the real deal ever happens, you've already been there and done that and you're prepared for it.”
To make the drill as realistic as possible, “actors” put on moulage, makeup that looks like a real wound, to simulate their injuries. The actors were familiar with the medical world, so added realism by responding during the drill how an injured person would.
The makeup and actors weren’t the only things that helped add to the realism of the drill said Ross Fowlks, Director of EMS Relations at HCA Healthcare.
“There will be some active shooters in here with some dummy ammo. It will be loud, and there will be a real-life hostage-type situation they'll have to deal with and watch for. And so you have to protect your area,” said Fowlks.
Cervantes said that the hospital has treated gun victims in the past but it was only a few at a time. This drill allows hospital workers to gain experience working on a mass number of victims at once.
