Mason Police engage in crisis training

Mason police officers participate in a training exercise for possible shooter scenarios. (Photo courtesy of Mason Police Department.)

There was a hypothetical shooting last week at the George Mason Campus. This imaginary shooter opened fire in the concourse of the patriot center, no count of the wounded as yet. Police engaged the “shooter” and local Fire and Rescue squads immediately evacuated the victims to nearby hospitals.

The George Mason Police Department hosted the training drill hosted to prepare officers for a potential shooter on campus. The exercises aimed to practice communication and coordination between the police department and other agencies, particularly six local police, fire and rescue squads. The event also clarified the command structure if a shooting were to happen on Mason's campus. This marked the first time all six agencies in the area collaborated to practice procedure in the event of a shooting.

Overall, 230 personnel were trained in the two days of the program. The new developments included bulletproof equipment for EMTs that allows them to enter the area with the active shooter and perform immediate triage and evacuation of victims.

In the exercise, many students acted as victims. Student body president Alex Williams witnessed the George Mason and Fairfax Police and Paramedics at work.

“It really highlighted just how critical organization and communication are,” Williams said. “Minutes can mean lives. People could die in 18 minutes that wouldn’t have in 15.”

Mason Police Chief Drew Tracy has been involved in training for an active shooter scenario since 1999.This is something that has to be done continually,” Tracy said. “We can’t let our guard down on something like this.”

Williams agrees and adds that, in the future, such drills should be less separated from the student body.

“My recommendation is that we do this again during a school day, at noon on a Wednesday, just when we’re sure everyone knows it is a drill it, but it reminds us all that there is this threat and that we can, to a degree, prepare,” Williams said.

The Mason Police plan on repeating this drill again later in the year and coordinating with the student body.