Smithfield — The halls and church areas of Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church were filled with students and church members, Saturday 4/28/18 as they got ready for an active shooter training drill session.
Yet in a matter of moments, chaos broke out around 13:00 when the Isle of Wight Volunteer Rescue and area responders took part in an extensive active shooter drill.
The drill simulated a shooter coming onto the premises and opening fire on the church in session, leaving mass destruction in his path.
Moments after multiple shots rang out, the screams of potential shooting victims could be heard as officers with the Smithfield Police Department, Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Department and other responders made entry into the building to address the situation.
Authorities first dealt with the active shooter and then cleared the area to ensure safety for EMS crews to tend to any and all downed victims.
Those individuals were then removed and transported by ambulances and helicopters for treatment of their injuries based on the Mass Casualty Incident guidelines.
Those injuries were depicted graphically through the creative efforts to make the scene look realistic. The scene was scripted out for training purposes for the IWVRS EMT class. But the same scene has played out in real life all too often, and local authorities want to be prepared in the event the unthinkable happens here.
