Being Ready! Westlake Police Hold Active Shooter Training at Parkside School

Safety Forces at work inside Parkside School.

On Tuesday August 2 and again on Wednesday August 3, the Westlake Police Department conducted Mass Casualty/Active Shooter training at Parkside Intermediate School at 24525 Hilliard Boulevard.

Residents and businesses were told in advance to expect to see an increased police presence during the hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. There were scenarios that included shouting and screaming inside the building.

The training included the use of simulators, simunitions, blank-fire ammunition and role-players.

Residents and businesses were advised to not be alarmed as this was a planned and resourced training event.

This event was scheduled and executed with the cooperation and participation of the Westlake Fire Department and the Westlake City School District.

Other police departments, including North Olmsted, Fairview Park, Cleveland Metroparks Police and Avon also participated. The Westshore Enforcement Bureau and Westcom Fire Dispatch as well as Westlake’s Dispatchers were included in the training as well.

“The Westlake Police Department is fully committed to preparing and rehearsing to professionally respond to any incident that may occur in the city,” said Capt. Gerald Vogel. “This is just another example of ongoing training in best practices for all of our employees to make Westlake one of the safest communities in Northeast Ohio.

“We at the Westlake Police Department feel strongly about the necessity of this training. Having our officers, firefighters and school staff on the same page increases the safety of all of the children who attend the schools in Westlake. The mindset and tactical goals learned and practiced in these types of training best prepares our officers and supervisors to respond and properly handle situations such as these, no matter where in the city they may occur.”

H-6 Photo: “It was a pretty intense experience for me and I’m in awe of the performance of everyone involved. In the photos you will see personnel in safety vests, those are evaluators. Every aspect of the training is scrutinized and during the short break between exercises any issue or concern is addressed. They then run through it again, even if it’s 93° weather.”

**WARNING** There are some photos that contain staged victims, injuries and or blood. **

About H-6 Photo: H-6 Photo is a Facebook page dedicated to honoring and bearing witness to the many acts of service and heroism performed by our public safety and police personnel. The pictorial accounts of their works are phenomenal. “Thank you for visiting this page,” it says. “This page was created to highlight the job of our first responders serving the Westcom / Westshore and surrounding communities.”

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