School offers training for emergency responders

MAX - McLean County law enforcement and other emergency personnel enhanced their response training during an active-shooter exercise at the Max Public School Friday.

School staff also received training, and local youth assisted in playing the role of victims in the exercise, which involved officers with the McLean County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Garrison-Max Ambulance personnel, Max Rural Fire Department firefighters as well as staff at Garrison Memorial Hospital and with Trinity First Response Air helicopter.

In the scenarios carried out Friday, law officers worked to take down an active shooter and ensure the building was free of other antagonists while fire and ambulance crews followed behind to tend to and remove injured victims.

Heartland Consulting Group from Bismarck conducted the exercise and provided an evaluation to assess for areas in which the school can improve its precautions.

"This is probably the most requested program that we have," Heartland President/CEO Derek Hanson said of active-shooter training. "Some weeks we do two or three of these a week."

The company also conducts other training, such as hazardous materials and train derailment exercises.

It provides training across North Dakota and neighboring states.

"We've been to Minnesota, South Dakota, Texas. We pretty much go wherever they need help," Hanson said.