MASHPEE – An open letter from Mashpee Police Chief Scott Carline: Over the past several months, the Mashpee Police Department in conjunction with the Mashpee School District and the Mashpee Fire/Rescue Department have been coordinating and planning an Integrated Response to an Active Threat Training Exercise which is scheduled for August 21st, 2019 at the Mashpee Middle-High School. The goals and objectives of this training will be to test and facilitate a full emergency response to an immediate threat, or mass casualty event. Secondarily, we will focus on our medical response to victims, securing the scene and parent/student reunification.
There will be numerous outside agencies responding to this active shooting training, including but not limited to, The Department of Homeland Security, Massachusetts State Police, Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office, Upper Cape Cod Special Response Team, Cape Cod Regional Law Enforcement Council SWAT team, and many surrounding communities to supplement our response. Joint training with these agencies has never been more collaborative and cooperative and it is critically important to an effective response to an active shooter scenario such as this
Included will be approximately 100 role players to include parents, teachers, staff members and students. In an effort to make this training realistic, role players will be using Moulage Training kits which incorporate fake blood and realistic wounds which will add to the decision making skills of those first responders on scene. To enhance the reality of thi straining, a professional actor will be portraying the active shooter The training will commence at approximately 9:00 AM and should last no longer that two hours.
Safety is the ultimate priority and there will be no live fire of any kind to include blanks, simunitions or projectiles. At no time during this training will law enforcement need to engage the suspect or any additional threats. Members of the community are asked to keep in mind that this is only a training exercise and not to become alarmed with the large presence of emergency vehicles at ths school. No road closures are expected and the impact to the community should be limited. Signs will also be posted to remind citizens this is only a training exercise.
Although we intensely hope this type of event never takes place and as much as we all hate the reality of it, active shooter events are going to continue and the unthinkable can occur anywhere. As public safety leaders it is our responsibility to our schools, our students, our staff and our community to be as prepared as possible to support those responsible in potential target locations in the preparations and planning. To this end, this active shooter training exercise will focus not on potential vulnerability, but to build confidence in recognizing the challenges of managing a tactical response, planning assistance, community interaction and recovery coordination. Again it is our responsibility to our community to be as prepared as possible for such an event. The Town of Mashpee is committed to serving our youth and adults, as well as all citizens alike.
