ST. CROIX — A simulation of an active shooter scenario held Wednesday on the Albert A. Sheen Campus at the University of the Virgin Islands as part of National Emergency Medical Services Week prepared first responders for a mass casualty incident as the exercise demonstrated correct procedures for neutralizing an armed assailant and treating wounded victims.
Responding personnel from the Virgin Islands Police Department and Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services coordinated efforts during the exercise conducted by the UVI Medical Simulation Center to quickly take control of the situation and provide medical treatment to gunshot victims.
“This exercise is aimed at improving active shooter scenario preparedness for VIFEMS, students and staff on the UVI’s Sheen Campus, and the whole community,” Charlene Navarro, Medical Simulation Center executive director, said in a statement. “We are pleased that the center is coordinating this type of exercise in collaboration with FEMS, VIPD, the VI Department of Health and UVI’s Campus Security. This is exactly the type of training and active learning that the UVI MSC was created to facilitate along with so much more.”
The exercise started with two gunshots fired from the revolver of a disgruntled employee who targeted students on campus indiscriminately, sending a group of people running toward the cafeteria. Blanks were used by the lone gunman during the scenario, and responding police officers replaced the live rounds in their rifles with simulation rounds.
As the active shooter chased the students toward the cafeteria, he fired a third gunshot. The gunman fired two more rounds before police officers with the VIPD Special Operations Bureau rushed in with rifles drawn to take him out inside the cafeteria.
“Threat has been neutralized,” Sergeant Kirk Fieulleteau, commander of the Special Operations Bureau, which houses the Special Weapons and Tactics, and K-9 Unit operations, said while coordinating the exercise. “EMS is clear to come in.”
After the exercise, Fieulleteau said he was excited when Navarro reached out to him about conducting the training.
“It’s very important that each entity, each head knows what their roles are so that when we do have a situation like this, we are not running all over each other, stumbling over each other; everybody just plays their intricate role and have a smooth operation,” he said.
While the scenario played out on UVI’s campus, the Special Operations Bureau commander pointed out an active shooter situation could happen anywhere in the territory that would require emergency response.
“The last thing we want is nobody not knowing what to do at the very moment, everybody running from panic, motor skills go through the window, and we just make the situation more worse than it is,” Fieulleteau said, stressing the need for training.
While the VIPD was already stationed on campus to immediately participate in the scenario, the first responders from VIFEMS arrived in real time. Sirens blaring in the distance became louder as the responding fire trucks and ambulances got closer to UVI.
The first fire truck arrived in 9 minutes and medical personnel onboard immediately began treating victims, including participants wearing special effects moulage makeup that replicated gunshots wounds. Medical simulation dummies on the scene represented individuals who were fatally wounded.
Chief Robert Bryan, VIFEMS EMS chief for St. Croix, stressed the importance of the exercise.
“Fortunately, we’ve not had this type of incident before but as it becomes more prevalent across America, knowing what to do, when to do and how to do has become the norm,” he said. “So, we can’t just say it will never happen here anymore. We have to be prepared.”
Within 10 minutes after the first fire truck arrived, five ambulances and a second fire truck responded. VIFEMS personnel used stretchers to transport the victims to a grassy area near the crime scene to receive initial treatment under a pop-up tent before they were taken away in ambulances.
Bryan said VIFEMS was excited to participate in the exercise with the UVI Medical Simulation Center.
“This went pretty awesome,” he said, noting that he had full support from his staff, including firefighters, dual role firefighters, emergency medical technicians, advanced EMTs, and paramedics. “They all came out and gave it there all. There wasn’t too much grumbling. They went in there and realized we’re here to save lives, and we’re gonna work as a team.”
In addition to members of the VIPD unit who neutralized the threat, UVI’s Campus Security was on the scene to help keep the area safe as the first responders acted. The Department of Health and UVI’s Counseling Services were onsite to provide mental health services during the exercise, which was open to the public to observe from designated areas and recorded for training purposes. A few rain sprinkles fell during the exercise, but the heavy rainfall that was forecast throughout the day held off until after it was over.
Navarro, the Medical Simulation Center executive director, said the only way first responders will know what to do in an active shooter situation is to train for it.
“If we can get our first responders trained, our hospital personnel trained, it will make all of us feel safer and improve health care in the territory,” she said after the exercise.
Navarro said the training exercise went well, informing the participants afterward that she would like to conduct more of them in the future.
“The real-world response of EMS was really actually very good because I did not expect to have as many ambulances and fire trucks respond as we did, so it was very impressive to see,” she said. “It was really great to see VIPD that they really participated with bringing out simulated weapons, and they went in their formation to subdue the assailant, and it was really great. It can only get better.”
Bryan thanked Fire Director-designee Antonio Stevens for allowing the exercise to happen during National EMS Week.
“Without his support, we couldn’t be prepared as we are and we need to be in the future,” he said, reassuring the community that VIFEMS is ready to respond. “We stand ready and prepared to go out there and be the safety net for the Virgin Islands.”
