Until recently, if an active shooter had been in the food court of the mall, police would have had to secure the entire building before victims anywhere inside could get the medical care they needed.
But as police and fire agencies learn from incidents around the country, they are changing their tactics to ensure they can get help to victims in a faster, better way.
To do so, Bellingham’s fire and police agencies have agreed to two major changes.
A select group of paramedics has been trained to wear protective gear and taught how to enter potentially dangerous situations along with the SWAT team. The agencies have trained together to provide police protection so any paramedic or firefighter can safely do their job close to a violent scene as needed.
“We are committed as a fire service to risk a lot to save a lot,” Fire Training Division Chief Ryan Provencher told City Council members in a March 21 presentation on the changes. “If we have our law enforcement officers escorting us, there will be no delay, no scene security, but we have to be on the same page.”
April 20 is the 17th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, which drove much of the change in the way police around the country respond to shootings and violent incidents.
“Since Columbine, that was really the instigator of change in tactics,” Bellingham Police Training Sgt. Chad Cristelli told the council. “It was a game change in our response.”
Now, instead of surrounding the scene with a perimeter as they used to, police go in immediately and secure that area.