Brazos Valley first responders and leaders take specialized training in case of emergencies

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) -Since the start of 2023, experts say the United States has averaged more than one mass shooting per day.

On Tuesday, first responders along with local city and government officials, took a specialized training called Joint Public Safety Response to the Active Shooter/Active Assailant.

The training brought in over 200 first responders from all seven counties in the Brazos Valley. They came with a goal to make sure they are prepared in case of emergencies.

Mike Clumpner, President and Chief Executive Officer at Threat Suppression, Incorporated, was the guest speaker on Tuesday. He said the need for training in situations like this is needed more so now than ever.

“In the morning, we talked about the history and the background of some of these events, we talk about the psychology of the perpetrators,” said Clumpner. “ Like, the adolescent perpetrator, known as the school shooter, and the adult perpetrator, known as the workplace shooter. We talk about integrated law enforcement, fire department, emergency medical service response, and 9-1-1 considerations. We wrap it up with lessons learned and how to handle recovery from these events.”

Sgt. Jon Agnew with the Bryan Police Department told KBTX his agency often trains for active shooting situations. Although, he said you can never gain enough knowledge or experience when it comes to this potential situation.

“Our attackers are studying previous attackers. So, it’s our job to understand them just as much as they’re trying to understand or emulate someone before them,” said Sgt. Agnew. “Our job is to get into their mindset a little bit. Not that we can predict everything that can happen, but know how to react and keep our eyes forward to prevent future attacks.”

Billy Rice, Director of EMS at St. Joseph, told KBTX it’s not common to have all Brazos Valley first responders under one roof.

“So the fact we are all together just makes a difference. We have to understand each other’s roles if a mass casualty were to happen here. We brought EMS, fire protection, law enforcement, emergency management, St. Joseph nurses and politicians into one room to train together. This is huge because we got more than 200 people together from all agencies and counties across the Brazos Valley,” said Rice.

When disasters strike, experts like Clumpner told KBTX it takes everyone to save lives.

“We want to make sure everyone knows their role or their equity is in the event, and what each agency has to accomplish. Because we’re all accomplishing things at the same time,” said Clumpner. “It’s fantastic to see these agencies come together with the goal of minimizing the loss of life in these events.”

First responders and government leaders will have additional training on Wednesday.

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