Training Prepares for Worst Scenario

 

Participants were pleased with the outcome of the training exercise. Photos: Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Kelly Worthman

In the wake of the nation’s mass shootings, law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, are on heightened alert, ready to respond if and when they get a call about an active shooter.

The ability to act quickly and in a coordinated fashion is crucial, both in terms of neutralizing the shooter, and also in getting medical attention to victims as soon as possible. One way to hone response capabilities is a full-scale active shooter exercise. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division coordinated such an exercise in May.

For several weeks, local first responders and postal managers and executives, including Fort Lauderdale Postmaster David Guiney, met to plan and discuss this law enforcement exercise. Participants developed the parameters for the exercise and established a common communications protocol. Guiney and Postal Inspectors talked with employees. Service talks were given; signage was posted. Businesses in the surrounding area were notified. Media personnel were advised.

It’s May 19. “Active shooter, Fort Lauderdale Main Office, 1900 West Oakland Park Blvd,” said the caller to the police dispatcher.

Within minutes, a team of Postal Inspectors and an army of local first responders from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Fire Department, and the Office of the Inspector General --- arrived on the scene. Each law enforcement agency was trained to prepare for a tragedy and to reflect on lessons learned. They never may need to rely on this training, but if there were a mass shooting incident, the stakes could not be higher.