FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital will conduct an active shooter training drill on Thursday, October 24. Although hospital services should not be interrupted by the drill activities, staff will be on hand to respond to questions and to reassure patients and visitors that there is no actual emergency.
FirstHealth of the Carolinas established an Active Shooter Policy in 2014 as part of the hospital’s overall safety program and in response to the growing number of active shooter incidents across the country.
An active shooter is defined as an individual who is actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined or populated area. The FirstHealth policy provides an emergency response plan that is designed to protect the health and safety of patients, staff and visitors in the event of an active shooter on hospital property. The policy gives hospital staff detailed, step-by-step instructions on the actions to take and how to respond in an active shooter situation.
While having a policy in place to guide staff in the unlikely event of an active shooter incident is a start, following the policy during an actual event might prove more difficult. For this reason, and because the hospital is required to conduct annual emergency drills to maintain regulatory compliance, FirstHealth has chosen to perform an active shooter training drill.
Since the drill is aimed at saving lives should a real act occur, the upcoming event will involve the cooperation of several law enforcement agencies and emergency responders. Â Staff from various participating agencies will participate in the drill and meet following the drill to discuss and critique the event and to identify what went well and any areas for improvement.
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