GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — A shooter killed five people and then himself at the Moulson Coors Brewing Company facility in Milwaukee, a violent tragedy that police across the state prepare for.
That includes the Green Bay Police Department. They’ve trained to respond to a mass casualty situation if it were to happen in the city, and Detective Kevin Kempf is in charge of that training.
“I think there are always things to be learned from situations like [Moulson Coors],” Kempf told WTAQ. “Unfortunately, when one does occur, you have to look at what went well, what went bad.”
Kempf is one of two department officials to take part in a year-long project to improve emergency response.
“We’re actually paired with a Green Bay fireman where we trained the rescue task force for active shooter response,” Kempf said.
Kempf says the number one thing they prepare for is to set up a line of communication and a command hierarchy during emergency events and share that knowledge with other departments so all emergency responders are on the same page.
“One of the biggest things we can do to prepare is better understand it,” Kempf said. “If you look back, one of the problems come about as a lack of communication or a breakdown in communication.”
Local jurisdictions often train together using a standardized set of methods created by the federal government. The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) program has been adopted by the FBI and disseminated at the local level. It’s a set of protocols designed to mitigate the threats posed during mass casualty events.
The Green Bay Police Department also offers to help train local businesses and their employees on the best practices to adopt for mass casualty incidents.
