Mississauga and Brampton first responders participate in active shooter training in the U.S.

Active shooter incidents are rare in Peel Region but Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon emergency crews will better prepared after attending a recent training course in the United States.

It was just about two months ago when emergency services faced a tragic, multi-jurisdictional shooting that led OPP, on behalf of local officers, to issue an “active shooter” alert. The incident began when Toronto Police Traffic Services Const. Andrew Hong was fatally shot inside a Mississauga Tim Hortons.

About 35 minutes after the Mississauga shooting, the suspect shot three more people, killing two, in Milton. The suspect died in a shoot out with police in Hamilton a few hours later.

While it’s hoped nothing like this will happen again, Peel emergency services now have additional training to prepare for any future incidents.

Six people from Peel Region attended a three-day course just outside of Pittsburgh called Rescue Task Force Instructor Certification from the National Tactical Officers Association, Peel Regional Police spokesperson Const. Donna Carlson told insauga.com.

The National Tactical Officers Association provides training across the United States and remains current on the most modern tactics and techniques for managing active shooter incidents.

Three people from Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, two officers from Peel Regional Police and one person Peel Regional Paramedic Services attended, Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services Deputy Chief Rob Grimwood, who attended the training, said.

Peel Region is represented at an Active Shooter training symposium by members of MFES (Section Chief Johnson, TO McComb and Deputy Grimwood) along with Andrew Perry (Peel Police), JP Valade (Peel Police) and Gil Kisielius (Peel Paramedics). pic.twitter.com/tVjUfhJpav

— Mississauga Fire (@MississaugaFES) November 1, 2022

The course is designed to teach students “methods of warm zone care during active violence incidents,” the training description reads.

A warm zone typically refers to the area where tactical field care takes place in a violent incident.

The training is a “fairly new concept on using Rescue Task Forces in response to an active shooter/active attacker incident,” said Grimwood.

A Rescue Task Force is a team comprised of police officers, firefighters and paramedics who enter the zone after police have stopped the immediate threat, for the purpose of providing immediate care to victims and then packaging and removing them to safety, Grimwood explained.

The course will help better integrate police, fire and paramedics during an active attacker situation or mass casualty event where there still exists a danger to the public, Carlson added.

Currently, Peel Region has a working group collaborating to prepare for active shooter situations and hostile events.

Members of Peel Regional Police, Peel Regional Paramedic Services, Ontario Provincial Police, Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services, Brampton Fire and Emergency Services, Caledon Fire and Emergency Services and Toronto Pearson Fire and Emergency Services are in the working group, Grimwood said.

In the recent U.S. training, the six participants learned how to unify their command structure, improve communications and better coordinate the incident.

They learned how to provide rapid patient care in a temporary environment, triage multiple patients and provide various bleeding control techniques, including tourniquet use.

And they also learned how to quickly, safely and effectively package and extract victims using various methods, including drags, carries and portable stretchers.

It’s important for first responders to receive this training.

“Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services is often first on scene for any emergency,” said Grimwood. “We need to ensure our people have the right training.”

Mississauga Fire has participated in training for active shooter incidents in the past, including a recent Peel Regional Police exercise.

But the U.S. training provides additional techniques.

“This specific Rescue Task Force training is a new course and our participation in it now allows us to bring new information and concepts back to ensure our staff have the most modern training available,” Grimwood said.