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Above: Santa Paula Police (L to R) Officer Matt Alonzo, Senior Officer Dan Potter and Officer Wyatt Gates approach with caution during an Active Shooter training exercise held recently at Santa Paula High School. Bottom: SPPD Explorers that also volunteered to be victims were interested in the weapons used by (L to R) Officer Eric Burnett and Officer Wyatt Gates who took part in the exercises, directed by (R) Senior Range Master Dave Manning. |
SPPD, SPFD: Active shooter response
exercise held at historic SPHS
March 27, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
“Be careful, be smart and be safe,” with an emphasis on smart was the motto for Active Shooter Training held in recent weeks at Santa Paula High School.
Various shifts of Santa Paula Police and Fire personnel honed their skills for responding to what to many is the unthinkable, but a demonstrated reality in today’s world, a school shooting with multiple victims.
SPPD Senior Range Master Dave Manning led the training, which started with a presentation on dealing with an active shooting before the exercise — using police and fire personnel as well as SPPD Explorers and other volunteers for the faux emergency — was launched.
Each team member of the police unit “has to do your job,” and Manning said the “ideal number” to deal with the situation is four officers but more or even if response numbers are not considered optimum there should be two teams formed.
If the situation dictates, “Grab your rifle and go alone … it’s up to you.”
Armed only with medical supplies firefighter EMTs are now considered first responders: in years past they were kept at bay until a scene was declared safe by police, but then the realization hit that some of the 13 victims in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting likely could have been be saved with a minimal of medical attention.
“If we can get in there and place a simple tourniquet we can stop the bleeding,” from a wounded victim said Fire Captain Gil Segovia.
Although the SPPD has held such training for years, 2014 was the first time that fire personnel entered a still at-large active shooter scene, which requires a heavily armed police escort.
Officers have a lead and try to stay in a line: “When you’re side-by-side it’s too hard to move around,” said Manning, who noted that all weapons except those used in the exercise had to be locked up so there would be mistakes that could lead to injury.
One officer must take a leadership role to control direction, keep officers from spreading out and the speed of the approach.
Even with a lack of communication from “civilians” at the scene of an active shooter incident Manning said clues — such as the direction from which crowds are coming from — can help pinpoint the shooter as well as victims.
Some of the training is basic: listening and pausing to gauge the situation even as you keep moving and keeping radio transmissions to a minimum were addressed.
Manning said officers must also clear rooms and buildings but “know when you can bypass,” a location.
“You have to make those decisions,” he told officers.
Their police escorts shield fire rescue teams from attack, but “If the gunman pops up and starts shooting,” Manning said the suspect must be pursued.
“Warm zones” he noted, are those considered still vulnerable.
Instructors and safety officers were evident at the scene where Manning told the officers, “Be careful, be smart and be safe,” with smart being the most important element that influences the other two.
As the active shooter scenario started in the Center Courts of the historic campus Santa Paula School Resource Officer Reserve Sgt. Mark Cagnacci said the Santa Paula Unified School District, “Has been very, very supportive … they said whatever you want,” would be taken care of for the training exercises.
An 18-year-old SPHS senior Sergio Gutierrez was suited up to be the shooter, a role he relished.
A SPPD Explorer for almost two years, Gutierrez was also involved in last year’s training but then as a victim.
SPHS Theater Team members have been involved in past exercises but Gutierrez said he did not prepare: “Dave Manning told me I was going to put the outfit on and just shoot people … I had about four victims down before they caught up with me,” all played by Explorers.
The victims also played an important role with those less seriously wounded telling officers where the gunman had gone until the final confrontation on the stairs above the old science building.
“That’s where they caught up with me and shot the heck of out of me!” said Gutierrez, who was protected from the blanks by torso padding and a helmet.
He admitted to being prone to pain if officers had hit him on his unpadded arms and legs but all shots found their mark.
“The officers are highly trained and hit me in the key points, the chest and the head … ”
Gutierrez played the shooter for several of the training sessions staged for various shifts of officers and fire.
Overall, he believes, “The officers and firefighters did an excellent job,” in handling the situation, from initial response and treating victims to tracking him down and dispatching the faux active shooter.
“You never know,” said Gutierrez, “what will happen.”
