Lead instructor Justin Nielsen huddles with
officers and EMS personnel to discuss rescue
task force operations before a search and
rescue drill that was part of the training.
WORK HARD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50 Live actors posed as injured victims alongside dummies that also replicat-
ed victims in the elementary school hallways while officers worked to clear
and secure the building.
prepare for emergencies that require mutual aid from sur-
rounding towns.
“We really rely on surrounding towns for backup purposes
or even to be right there on the front lines with us,” Conroy
stressed. “This type of training is a different animal when you
add all of the stimulants, adrenaline and the sweat that fogs up
the inside of the facemask. God forbid an event like this would
ever happen, we’d already know that feeling and be able to act
accordingly to get the job done.”
Nielsen adds that preparing for the visible, auditory and phys-
ical stimulants of an active-shooter scenario is paramount. So,
when the drills began, so did the smoke machines, fire alarms, barking dogs and screaming victims, adding elements of confu-
sion and distraction to the scene.
“We’re trying to give them the opportunity to work through
these types of emotions that they may feel before they ever
have to do it in real life,” Nielsen confirmed. “Anything we could
think of, we tried to put that obstacle in front of them.”
It’s a big job to get all of the moving pieces involved in the
training experience, but all participants realized that it’s well
worth the benefit of being prepared to protect a school and the
community should disaster ever strike home.
“We’re trying to get [the training] in as often as we can,” Con-
roy confirmed. “When it’s done right, it’s some of the best train-
ing I’ve seen.” d
We appreciate the New Jersey State PBA, its members and families
Thank You for All that You Do
52
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ SEPTEMBER 2017