PCSO sponsors active shooter response training
Jul. 13—Roughly 90 people representing churches, schools, and banks gathered Wednesday for an active shooter training in McAlester.
Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris said his department sponsored the training at the Kiamichi Technology Center's Bill Prichard Family Seminar Center in McAlester to help people prepare for basic medical techniques and planning in the event of an active shooter after seeing multiple fatal shootings this year.
"It's just the world we live in these days," Morris said. "The recent shootings did make us decide to go ahead and do it. We just wanted to get the knowledge out to the people and get them trained up on what to do."
A gunman opened fire May 24 at Robb elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers in what was the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. since Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
A gunman carrying a rifle and a handgun killed four people at a medical building in Tulsa last month.
Morris said those incidents led him to pursue an active shooter training his department sponsored and was conducted through NASH.
Shane Hackler, who owns NASH and is an Oklahoma Highway Patrol lieutenant, said the training helps people at schools, churches, and other businesses to prepare for active shooter response.
"We're trying to help them with a plan — we call it an emergency response plan," he said. "We help them with a way to respond to an event at their building, at their structure, at their business. Schools are the same way, try to keep children safe."
Attendees also learned the proper use of a tourniquet.
"We're also teaching them the medical side of it, how to apply tourniquets, and how to save lives," Hackler said. "A lot of times during shooter events people die because the bleed to death."
The Milo Range, a force training simulator used by students in KTC's Basic Peace Officer Certification course, was also used by the attendees to Wednesday's program to get an officer's perspective when responding to an active shooter situation.
"Just to kind of help them speed up their process of things and thinking to keep everybody safe," Hackler said.
Hackler said he would like to thank Morris and PCSO for putting on the training because he likes helping people in his hometown.
"I live here, and I work here, so I kind of want to make sure that I help people where I'm at," Hackler said. "If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be here because these things cost money and I don't like to charge people where I live especially."
Morris said he would like to make the training an annual thing during the summer before schools start back up.
"We would definitely like to do more in the future," Morris said.
Contact Derrick James at djames@mcalesternews.com
