Members of Port Hope and Cobourg Police Services have been using a former public school in Welcome for training for just over a year.
Cobourg Police Constable Jay Salisbury is the lead instructor of four Use of Force instructors which include members of both Cobourg and Port Hope Police Services.
Salisbury said with the school not being used for several years it’s the perfect location for training for both police services for what is called “Immediate Action Rapid Deployment.
“Our officers have the opportunity to come here and work on, basically the worst case scenario – that being an active attacker in a school setting.”
Through the morning officers are trained in the fundamentals of the response and in the afternoon they are presented with actual training scenarios inside and outside the school.
Auxiliary officers and volunteers are used as victims as well as the attacker.
Each scenario starts out as dispatch conveys to responding officers what is happening at the school.
Officers respond and are faced with the unknown.
Area fire departments, paramedics and principals have also been invited to watch the training.
Salisbury said in the event of an emergency, fire department and paramedics will also be responding so it’s important to work with them as much as possible to become familiar on how each service trains.
A Cobourg Fire Department vehicle was used as a Command Post for one of the days training.
Searching halls for the attacker while victims scream for help, and alarms sound it’s as real as it can be for training.
Officers not only have to look for the attacker, but also have to treat and remove victims throughout the scenarios.
“It’s fantastic being here at the school for this as it mimics a worst case scenario.”
“We work them really hard to induce that stress and pressure just to make sure they can implement the fundamentals that we taught them.”
Signs are posted along the roadway indicating it is a training exercise and police have spoken to all the neighbours who are in full support of the training.
Salisbury said safety is the number one priority and although some of the firearms are real, they use blanks which just mimics the sound.
“There is no projectile ammunition so there is no risk to anyone’s safety. The role players, the officers or the general public.”
In previous years, officers had to go to other areas of the province to be trained with other police services from around the province.
“Especially given that scenario if it takes place, Port Hope is right next to Cobourg and vice versa so all officers are going to go to something like this. So we train together, we work together and it just benefits the officers in all the different ways. And having this venue at George Hamilton Public School – we couldn’t be anymore grateful to have this venue it works out absolutely perfect.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
