Local agencies team up for active shooter training

During a recent weekly drill with the Jennings Fire Department (JFD), firefighters joined forces with members of the Jennings Police Department (JPD) and Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office (JDSO) to share knowledge, training and experience.

“We felt it was important for our department to be more aware of any additional potential dangers they might face on a call,” said JFD Safety Officer Ashley Navarre. “Situations involving firefighters being attacked while responding to fire calls are becoming more common. Firefighters aren’t armed to defend themselves the way law enforcement officers are.”

JDSO Cdr. Doug Britnell and JPD Lt. Chris and Lt. Laurie Wills organized a mock shooting during a fire and rescue drill.

“We arranged for three truck teams to respond to a structure fire call at our substation location,” explained Navarre. “When they arrived, they expected a search and rescue drill but not a shooting.”

Navarre said he regularly uses the element of surprise during his drills, which is especially crucial for the younger members of the department.

“They wouldn’t know all the details of a situation when they respond to a real call, so I train them to expect anything,” he said.

As the drill began, the first truck of firefighters arrived at the smokefilled JFD substation. Firefighters began offloading equipment but only one managed to enter the building before the rest was surprised by the “shooter,” Laurie Wills.

The one firefighter who made entry into the building was met by Chris Wills as he simulated a firearm attack just in the doorway of the structure.

Britnell, who is also the JDSO active shooter and firearms instructor, commanded each firefighter to immediately fall to the ground, identifying each of them as either dead or wounded. The wounded were instructed to attempt to escape, seek aid away from the shooting and call for help.

The second truck unknowingly arrived upon a “shooting situation.” The members of the second team met the same fate as the first before one firefighter attempted to call for help.

The entire ambush took only minutes.

“I made sure they could see me approach the trucks with the firearm in my hand,” said Laurie Wills. “I could tell they were unsure of what to do or how to react even as I began shooting at them. As law enforcement officers, we undergo training for situations like this and have developed a mindset to think more defensively. This was definitely an eyeopener for them.”

JFD Firefighter Courtney Broussard was on the second truck and is also an EMT with four years of experience.

“I knew something was wrong when we drove up and I saw firefighters laying on the ground,” she said. “I felt we should leave the scene but my captain was adamant we should continue to respond to the call. I don’t think any of us realized exactly what was going on, we just knew they needed our help.”

Broussard said as her team exited the truck together, the shooter approached the firefighters and shot her captain.

“We immediately got back on the truck and I attempted to radio the other unit to stand back because we were in an active shooter situation,” said Broussard. “Then I was shot, followed by Brandon Hayes, the firefighter who was in the back seat of our truck.”

“Cdr. Britnell then came to our truck and informed us that for the sake of the active shooter drill, our radio was out,” explained Hayes. “He then told me I was shot and wounded at that point and instructed me to crawl to the road to warn others.”

Hayes has been a volunteer firefighter with JFD for only four months and said this was his first training experience involving an active shooter situation.

“This type of training was very helpful,” he said. “I needed that experience – we all did – to teach us to be more alert and aware of our surroundings while coming onto a scene. You never know what to expect.”

Navarre said he expects his firefighters to make mistakes during drills.

“They were shocked and many of them didn’t even realize they had the capacity to escape and call for help,” continued Navarre. “That is a normal reaction but this is also why we have drills like this, to break them out of their routine and train them to think and react quickly.”

After the simulated shooting exercise and a quick recap, the firefighters had the chance to share their own knowledge and experience with the law enforcement officers. Britnell and Chris Wills each geared up in a pressurized air pack and mask before being integrated into an entry team line. They were then instructed on how they would enter the smoke-filled building as a single unit with the firefighters who were in full bunker gear. The goal was to navigate through the smoke and extract unconscious victims.

“I was very surprised at how limited the visibility was,” said Britnell. “You expect a substantial degree of difficulty being able to see around you, but I was unprepared for just how difficult it really was. You have to rely on constant physical contact with the members of your team.”

“This experience really gave me a renewed appreciation for the amount of effort firefighters put into training together,” said Chris Wills. “Like law enforcement, they must rely on strong and sometimes unconventional methods of communication.”

After the exercise, the firefighters and law enforcement officers met at the JPD Central Station for a briefing, exchanged information and discussed their experiences with one another.

“This isn’t the first time our agencies have teamed up to train together and we don’t want it to be the last,” said Britnell. “It’s important for us to share what we know with each other in the event any of us needs to aid or assist the other. Cross-training and training to work together is beneficial to the community, as well as the individual agencies, and is definitely something we want to continue doing in the future.”

“They were shocked and many of them didn’t even realize they had the capacity to escape and call for help. That is a normal reaction but this is also why we have drills like this, to break them oout of their routine and train them to think and react quickly.”
– JFD Safety Officer Ashley Navarre