Hillsdale Police Chief Scott Hephner stated Hillsdale law enforcement is working to ensure a quick response if a terror-driven tragedy should occur in Hillsdale, following the mass shooting Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday evening.
Thomas Novelly/Collegian
Speaking at a City Council meeting on Monday, Hephner said both police and fire departments are trained to respond to these kinds of events and that both departments attend annual training sessions specifically designated to educate law enforcement on public safety preparedness.
“I want to assure our community that our personnel are trained to respond should it occur,” he said.
The Hillsdale Police and Fire departments have scheduled joint training with local Emergency Medical Services for a mock mass casualty drill later this fall, Hephner said.
“We know if it’s a mass casualty, we need as many people as possible,” he said.
Local law enforcement departments are also involved with schools, participating in lockdown drills and training for possible mass casualty events there.
Additionally, Hephner said the city will be instituting inter-departmental training, as well, citing the Fire Department’s plans to teach the Police Department how to attach a hose to a hydrant as an example of the city’s plans to integrate first response tactics.
“Right now, everyone is protective of his organization; we need to get past that,” he said. “When it comes to our community, if it happened once, we need to anticipate that it could happen again. We need to make plans and train for that.”