LAKEWOOD — Every drill, every conversation, every mistake makes them a little better and a little more prepared.
In today’s world, police have no choice but to train for unfolding shootings, including school shootings. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office this week hosted a three-day training with national experts at Lakewood High School. More than 25 police officers participated from throughout the region.
They will share with their colleagues what they’ve learned, said Sgt. Steve McDonald with the sheriff’s training unit.
“The bottom line is to save lives,” he said.
The sights and sounds at the high school on Wednesday were jarring in their realism. Masked gunmen posed behind orange lockers, firing pellet guns. One screamed about an algebra test, aiming his weapon at an actor who begged for his life.
Police have to be prepared physically and mentally for what they’ll encounter, McDonald said.
That means their blood pumping in their ears, narrowed vision and, on Wednesday, recorded screams in the background and victims running through hallways. That day they ran through five different scenarios, including one involving a pair of shooters.
Lakewood schools Superintendent Michael Mack watched some of the drills.
“This is a lot of smart people working together to really understand the best way to keep kids safe,” he said. “That relationship is crucial.”
The response plans are constantly changing, because “you’re always learning,” sheriff’s deputy Scott Wells said.
“Everybody in the region can be on the same page and have the same working knowledge,” he said.
One ongoing conversation involves how to safely get paramedics to victims quicker. They’re still looking for ways to get that crucial medical help closer to the wounded without endangering more lives, McDonald said.
The training comes nine months since the shootings at Marysville Pilchuck High School that left five teens dead. For locals, those deaths add urgency to training.
Like Marysville Pilchuck, the Lakewood High School campus is comprised of old buildings with numerous outside doors. That makes it tougher to secure a perimeter.
Bud McCurry, a sheriff’s deputy assigned to Lakewood schools, was the one who approached Mack to propose the district host the training.
The practice was hard to watch, Mack said, but he recognizes it could save a life. The school district saw sharing the campus for police to use as a chance to help the community, he said. The lessons are applicable for any crisis, on campus and off.
“You hope to never have to use it,” he said.
In recent years Mack has seen a shift in thinking in education. Schools always have been focused on students’ academic, social and emotional growth, he said. Now, they also need a plan for the unthinkable.
“Who wants to be prepared for something like that? I have to be prepared,” he said. “In some community, this is going to help.”
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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