Guthrie Teams Up with Local First Responders for Active Shooter Training Exercise
A simulated active shooter drill was held Sunday at Guthrie Pediatric Center and the Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital Emergency Department in Sayre. The exercise involved Guthrie staff, local and regional first responders, and actors that served as victims and patients. The exercise encompassed multiple scenarios in which an active shooter opens fire inside the Pediatric Center and injures a number of victims who are then transported to the Emergency Department. The exercise allows those involved to test their emergency preparedness policies and protocols and identify any improvements that can be made.
Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital, Michael Stitley said, “We had about 50 first responders who took part in this exercise including police, fire, and EMS. We also had some neighboring firefighters observing the drill in hopes of bringing back useful information to their individual departments. The main goal with this drill is to identify lessons learned and to apply those lessons to either real events or other exercises in the future.”
An extensive evaluation of the training will also be completed, information from which can be used to apply for grants to improve emergency response and safety.
Similar trainings and drills are being planned for other Guthrie locations in the future.
Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from a twelve-county service area. Guthrie is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and is the first health system based in Pennsylvania and New York to join this network. Guthrie is comprised of a research institute, home care/hospice, hospitals in Sayre, Pa., Corning, N.Y., Towanda, Pa., Troy, Pa. and Cortland, N.Y., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of more than 325 physicians and 210 advanced practice providers offering 47 specialties through a regional office network providing primary and specialty care in 22 communities in Pennsylvania and New York. In addition, Guthrie offers home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products at seven convenient Med Supply Depot locations. Guthrie provides a wide range of services and programs to enhance the health and well-being of those it serves.