OPD/OFD Press Release 2/10

While the details of this week’s training exercise could not be shared until close to the event we wanted to take time to explain the federally funded course that your local first responders participated in, which is quite remarkable.

The Active Threat Integrated Response Course (ATIRC) is a 24-hour performance level, direct delivery course designed to improve integration between law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) in active shooter events. This course provides law enforcement officers with key medical skills based on tactical emergency casualty care (TECC) guidelines which can be used at the point of injury (POI) to increase survivability of victims.

The course also provides a model framework for law enforcement, fire, and EMS to integrate responses during an active shooter event through the rescue task force concept using the Active Shooter Incident Management Checklist. This course has been designed to improve the safety and survivability of victims of active shooter and mass shooting events and increase the effectiveness, coordination, and resource integration between law enforcement, fire, and EMS when responding to these events. The Course Provider, National Center for Biomedical Research and Testing (NCBRT), is a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium and is based out of Louisiana State University.

Instructors from Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Florida and Arizona came to Olean to teach first responders from across Western New York.  The class had forty-five participants, ten victims, and was observed by members of the BOCES Criminal Justice Class as well as elected officials. 

On behalf of the City of Olean we would like to thank the St. John’s Parish for helping us plan, coordinate, and host this very unique course to better prepare our local first responders in the event, God forbid, a mass casualty incident like this should ever occur in our area. 

We also want to thank the following people that helped on the day of the drill:  The Hungry Burro, Trans Am Ambulance, Cattaraugus County Office of Emergency Services as well as the actors that volunteered their time to be victims.  We could not have pulled all this together without the help and support of our community partners as well as the patience from the neighbors in North Olean.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

Tim Richardson                                                                                                                 Ron Richardson

City of Olean Fire Chief                                                                                                  City of Olean Police Chief