Emergency medical personnel assess a role player victim prior to treatment during Iron Response, and active shooter exercise that took place at the Soldier Resilience and Readiness Center on West Fort Bliss July 9. The triage prioritizes casualties based on need, those with the most serious injuries or wounds will be treated and evacuated first.
FORT BLISS, Texas - Emergency services personnel from across Fort Bliss and the El Paso region came together July 9 for Iron Response, an active shooter exercise that took place at the Soldier Resilience and Readiness Center on West Fort Bliss.
With a train-as-you-fight spirit, the simulated active shooter exercise was an opportunity for all emergency services to mount up and spring into action. The exercise provided a full scope reaction to an active shooter incident in order to evaluate the installation’s ability to effectively and efficiently manage an incident.
Participants in the exercise included the Fort Bliss Directorate of Emergency Services, which included police, fire department, and Criminal Investigation Division personnel. Special Reaction Teams from the Fort Bliss Military Police, the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Customs and Border Patrol, as well as the American Red Cross, United Service Organizations, The Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America and Soldiers in various roles also participated in the event.
A wounded Soldier role player is transported from the military police special reaction team vehicle to the medical triage during Iron Response, an active shooter exercise that took place at the Soldier Resilience and Readiness Center on West Fort Bliss July 9. As casualties began to come out of the Soldier Resilience and Readiness Center, the triage was responsible for providing first aid and additional medical services, accountability of the injured, prioritizing and coordinating medical evacuation of the wounded based on need.
“The purpose of the exercise was to see our reaction, not only for the SRRC, but police, fire, medical and the entire base,” said Maj. Antonio Crespo, assistant officer in charge, SRRC. “We can see how we would react to multiple casualties at one given point.”
A diverse spectrum of skill sets converged onto West Fort Bliss when the exercise began in the morning. A simulated active shooter entered the SRRC and began a reign of terror that resulted in 16 acting deaths and 59 injured with fake gunshot wounds of various severity, cuts, sprains and head injuries. Moulage artists used fake blood and other props to make the injuries look real.
Medical support unit personnel, contractors and SRRC staff evacuated the building immediately to rally points where initial accountability, evaluation, and first aid of the injured could begin.
Within minutes, the initial response of Fort Bliss MPs arrived and entered the facility to identify and if possible neutralize the threat, secure and report the scene. Soon after, area agencies began arriving. The DES set up an Incident Command Post where law enforcement, medical personnel and support forces coordinated and staged their joint effort.
“The ICP is where all the tactical coordination occurs, it’s where people that need to save lives meet, plan, and deploy their resources,” said Lt. Col. Michael Karns, officer in charge SRRC.
The Fort Bliss Fire Department set up a triage area, which serves as a receiving, first aid, and launch pad area. All injured are examined, recorded, and accounted for before being transferred to facilities throughout El Paso to address the various injuries.
Those providing emergency medical service included: the DES, Border Regional Advisory Council, City of El Paso police and fire EMS, Elite Medical Transport EMS, Fort Hancock EMS, Life Ambulance Services and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. These organizations provided a range of medical services and transportation of injured role players to area hospitals including Providence Memorial Hospital, El Paso Specialty Hospital, El Paso Children’s Hospital, and Sierra Providence East Medical Center, University Medical Center, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Las Palmas Medical Center, Sierra Medical Center, and Del Sol Medical Center.
Once the Special Response Teams cleared the building, the injured who did not evacuate began to pour out of the SRRC, first to the triage where evaluations based on need were made. Then ambulance and helicopter personnel transported the injured to medical facilities.
“(For) the first initial patients that came out, we had more ambulances than patients, so those were immediately transported,” said Capt. Ray Scalf, supervisor/firefighter, FBFD.
“Later, when victims were coming out 10 at a time, we started to get a little overwhelmed and that was a good test for our guys. Could they make the decision that this individual was more critical than that individual?” continued Scalf.
First responders bring the first casualties to the triage site for treatment prior to their transport to a local medical facility. Partnering civilian hospitals participated in the exercise, testing Fort Bliss’ as well as their capabilities to receive mass casualties during Iron Response, and active shooter exercise that took place at the Soldier Resilience and Readiness Center on West Fort Bliss July 9. Participating medical facilities included University Medical Center, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Las Palmas Medical Center, Sierra Providence Eastside Hospital, Sierra Medical Center, El Paso Children’s Hospital, Del Sol Medical Center, El Paso Specialty Hospital, and Providence Memorial Hospital.
Throughout the exercise, everyone worked together – each component working their angle on the incident – and the result was a symphony of response during a time of need
“For emergency responders it was beneficial,” said Scalf, “it went really well.”
Law enforcement and medical professionals respond for the duration, an unknown length of time in a real-world scenario. The American Red Cross and other organizations mobilized to support the responders in the West Texas heat.
Fort Bliss Fire Department personnel prepare the triage site to treat and evacuate casualties as they are evacuated from the building during Iron Response, and active shooter exercise that took place at the Soldier Resilience and Readiness Center on West Fort Bliss July 9.
James Gutierrez, disaster chair, American Red Cross, said the organization’s goal was to try and prevent additional medical issues and keep everyone hydrated.
“Whatever we can provide (be it) snacks, drinks, Gatorade to help them stay fresh. We also have health counselors, nurses and mental health counseling here on-site,” Gutierrez said.
Although all involved hope to never encounter such an incident, there is comfort knowing that multiple agencies and medical professionals are collaborating should the need arise, officials said. The exercise proved joint efforts can and will synchronize; law enforcement and emergency services can learn and improve because of the full-scale exercise.
“The success of the exercise is directly attributed to the cooperative efforts of all people involved and the individual initiative of everyone on ground making it all happen as needed,” Karns said.
