“We will protect and serve our city, secure the future of our children and support our officers to achieve the highest standards.”
The Fishers Police Department’s mission statement is simple, but not always easy. Every day presents new challenges… and new opportunities to improve. One way that we are working hard to achieve our mission this week? A full-scale, multi-agency, county-wide active assailant training, conducted right here in Fishers.
Police officers, firefighters, dispatchers, and emergency workers from all over Hamilton County joined over 130 volunteer role players at the Forum Event Center on USA Parkway in Fishers to participate in the training.
The exercise, which took over 12 months of planning, encompassed everything that first responders may encounter in a real-life active threat event. From realistic 911 calls, to forcing entry into the building, to neutralizing the threat and providing medical intervention to victims, this training was an opportunity for us to put each facet of our emergency response to the test.
A training of this scale and magnitude is not only invaluable, but it’s very unique. It’s thanks to the special partnership created between the Fishers Police Department, Fishers Fire Department, and local businesses like Forum, that full-scale trainings like this one have become possible.
As part of our commitment to achieving our mission, FPD and FFD have worked closely together to create the High Threat Response Program (HTRP). The goal of the HTRP is to design, develop and deliver standardized education, response plans and training to prepare for public safety threats, like an active assailant. The program delivers this education to emergency personnel, but also to the public. Here’s a few things the HTRP wants you to know, in the event of active threat situation:
1. AVOID
Have a mindset of preparedness. Know what evacuation routes are accessible to you. In the event of an active threat, evacuate the area, leave your belongings behind, and help others escape if possible.
2. DENY
Stay out of sight, lock and block doorways, silence your phone and turn out the lights. If you aren’t able to evacuate, protect yourself by denying the threat any accessibility to you.
3. DEFEND
You have the right to defend yourself! If you are confronted with an active threat, act aggressively! Fight back with whatever you have available to you. Don’t fight fair. Stay alive.
4. CALL 911
Call 911 once you are safe. Answer dispatcher’s questions, follow police instructions and keep your hands visible.
The Fishers Police Department, Fishers Fire Department and the HTRP want you to be prepared in the event of an emergency situation. The HTRP has created a community initiative called Bleed Safe. This program is designed to increase your survivability and resiliency following a traumatic incident, which we are working to accomplish by:
- Connecting community members to free, nationally-recognized trauma care training
- Increasing the number of public trauma access kits (PTAK) throughout the community. PATKs are stocked with equipment used to treat of traumatic injuries and placed in easily identifiable and accessible locations. These kits offer community members the equipment needed to provide time-sensitive, life-saving intervention prior to the arrival of first responders
Just like CPR training and AEDs reduce the risk of cardiac death, trauma care and trauma kits reduce and mitigate the hazards of traumatic injury and death.
How can you get involved? If you are a business owner, faith-based organization leader or community member who is interested in high threat response education, visit our website for free, nationally recognized training.
Officer Jessica Stout is the previous Public Education Officer for the Fishers Police Department. She loves spending time with her family, including her toddler and three amazing step-kids. In her downtime, she likes to enjoy all the restaurants and food that Fishers has to offer with her husband. Her favorite thing about Fishers is the sense of energy and community that the city has to offer.
The Fishers Police Department’s mission is to protect and serve our city, secure the future of our children, and support our officers to achieve the highest standards. Learn more on their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.