COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Police and firefighters from the City of Collinsville ran through the halls of an elementary school on Thursday to practice for active shooter situations.
Many departments have increased their training to meet the demands of mass shootings across the country in schools, churches and other venues.
Agencies have also recognized the need for a multi-faceted response and timing, particularly after the Uvalde School shooting.
Multiple agencies had to respond quickly when a gunman entered a school in south St. Louis and killed a student and a teacher in October.
The Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission came in to sharpen first responders from the Collinsville police and fire departments.
The groups learned how to fix wounds, spot hurt patients, and quickly make rescues through intense simulation.
Steve Evans, Collinsville police chief, stressed they have just one part of the job.
"We know that EMS and fire do a great job at saving lives. but we haven't done as well as getting them in safely and a hurry to do that after we've kind of stopped a threat or we know that it's not that they are in imminent danger,” Evans said.
“What we're able to do with our expertise is almost in tandem with them. They take down the shooter then we come to start putting hands on the victims to save lives as quickly as possible” added Larry Conley, deputy fire chief for the Collinsville Fire Department.
The leaders stressed that whether it is during the weekend or a holiday break, they want parents to know that when their students aren't in these classrooms, they are suiting up and learning how to keep them safe.
Thalia Mills, a senior at Collinsville High School, roleplayed as a victim for the second time.
"What's the police procedures going to be? What are you expected to do? What’re the scenarios going to be like and kind of just more getting yourself mentally prepared for that situation?" she explained.
Mills added that it was a responsibility for everyone.
"It's no longer a thing of thinking like if it happens because it has happened so much. it's now a thing of when it happens, you need to do this," she said.
The Collinsville police and fire departments go through this training each year and have training on a smaller scale on a more regular basis.