Active shooter simulation sharpens skills of Lethbridge's first responders
Police, firefighters, paramedics and even physicians in Lethbridge took part in a special training exercise on Wednesday involving a very dangerous type of incident.
Emergency crews were mobilized at the city's Southminster United Church for a simulation of an active shooter situation.
Wednesday's full-scale exercise included actors, who had realistic interactions with first responders, playing all of the civilians involved.
Even staff members at Lethbridge's Chinook Regional Hospital participated in the scenario, treating patients in the emergency room.
The City of Lethbridge says training lessons like these develop important skills for emergency crews and others involved in public safety.
"Preparations have been ongoing even before COVID," said Luke Palmer, emergency preparedness manager with the City of Lethbridge.
"The big emphasis on much of these exercises is collaboration and co-ordination with other agencies. That's not just at the local level between our fire, EMS and police teams but also at the provincial level with the health sector."
Palmer says federal officials can and do get involved too, given the situation.
Four more training exercises are scheduled to take place in the fall and officials say the training programs take place every four years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.