PEA RIDGE, Ark. — It was a scene of controlled chaos at Pea Ridge Primary School Tuesday morning as multiple agencies came together to prepare for a day they hope will never come.
Pea Ridge police and fire departments joined with Bella Vista police and fire, Little Flock police, and the Gravette Fire Department for a two-day active shooter training program.
“Unfortunately, active shooting events are becoming more prevalent in America,” Cpl. Haley Evans with Bella Vista Police said. “We want to make sure that our officers and fire departments are trained and ready in case that were to happen.”
Lt. John Langham with the Pea Ridge Police Department said it is a training they hope they never have to use, but it is necessary.
“We've seen across the country what happens when agencies don't prepare,” said Lt. Langham. “And we do not want to be one of them.”
Officers and medical personnel are run through different scenarios all day at the school, each one forcing them to work together and adapt to the unexpected.
“We have probably 30 to 35 actors of all ages who play students and teachers that are yelling, screaming, and putting officers through everything that they will experience,” Evans said.
Langham says creating a high-stress environment during training is critical.
“If they've never experienced that stress, they won't know what to expect of themselves going in,” Langham said. “Anytime that you're in a stressful situation, it's very difficult without having been in that situation before to control your own emotions and your own reactions."
Langham says one of the scenarios involves actually removing victims from the building, and getting them loaded into ambulances to go off-site, possibly even including air ambulances.
Evans and Langham say they’re doing this to protect their communities and to be prepared to lend a hand to other agencies.
“If something happens, even our neighboring agencies, we will be there, they will know that we are there, we have the same training, and we're ready to help whenever they need it,” Evans said.
The training will resume on Thursday, and the Pea Ridge Primary School campus will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For safety reasons, Pea Ridge Police asks that anyone not involved in the training avoid the campus during that time.
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