Recent Active Shooter Exercise in Moses Lake Seen As Effective Tool

First responders and health providers think they're better prepared to handle threatening situations after a recent Active Shooter exercise.  

Confluence Health and Samaritan Healthcare partnered to hold a full-scale active shooter exercise in Moses Lake. 

Adam MacDonald with Confluence Health says the hospitals and responders were able to simulate what would happen in a real-life incident. 

"We had actors playing roles as patients where they pretended to be injured," said MacDonald. "And then the various services had the opportunity to transport them, to triage patients and to, in other words, work as if this was a real incident." 

The Moses Lake fire, police, and EMS departments all took part in the exercise, which was staged last Saturday morning. 

MacDonald says it gave all the participants a chance to sharpen their skills during a simulated mass casualty incident 

"This really allowed an opportunity for practice, discovery of areas to improve and really to better prepare, so that we can provide the best service and response should the need ever arise " McDonald said. 

Confluence Health also activated their Hospital Incident Command System for the exercise. 

Currently, there are no plans for any such full-scale exercises in the near future. 

But Confluence Health Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Doug Jones thinks the recent drill was highly worthwhile. 

“Full-scale exercises are an important part of our emergency preparedness cycle as we continually strive to provide a safe and secure environment for our valued patients, staff, and providers,” said Jones. “Additionally, partnering with other local regional health care systems and first responders allows for unique insights into how we function together, allowing us to improve and coordinate better.”