Ascension St. Vincent Fishers held a first-of-its-kind training in central Indiana last month, bringing in hundreds of firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical responders on campus over the course of three days.
The partnership is between Ascension St. Vincent Fishers, Fishers Fire & Emergency Services, and Fishers Police Department. The goal of the collaborative training operation was to enhance the coordination of emergency response capabilities in the event of a crisis situation to help ensure the safety and well-being of the community.
Throughout nine separate scenarios, teams were able to practice their response to a series of public safety emergencies. Ascension St. Vincent Police, volunteer actors, hospital associates, and hospital trauma resources including the StatFlight helicopter participated.
Fire, police, and EMS personnel from Carmel and Noblesville also attended.
“I feel it’s very important,” said Melanie Oliver RN, Nursing Administrator at Ascension St Vincent Fishers. “We are so blessed Fishers is our home. And I’m so happy that we’re able to partner with EMS, fire, and police to make this training successful for everyone and to help with the community and our safety.”
“Our partnership with Ascension St. Vincent has been monumental in expanding our group and our problem-solving abilities,” said Sgt. Jay Settergren, Fishers Police High Threat Response Team. “By partnering with them we get to see a unique perspective. We’ve never been able to do a training exercise in a hospital before and it adds an entirely different element to how we would rescue civilians and what our response structure would be. And we are extremely grateful for their partnership.”
The training showcases the coordinated response of Fishers Fire and Emergency Services, Fishers Police Department, and Ascension St. Vincent hospitals. This exercise provides valuable insights into each organization’s strategies, tactics, and capabilities, and emphasizes their shared commitment to maintaining public safety.
“This was a great training opportunity for police officers and firefighters to work together,” said Captain John Mehling, who serves as the Public Information Officer for Fishers Fire & Emergency Services. “While we always hope for the best, we train for the worst. Having partnerships with companies like Ascension St. Vincent, affords responders realistic situations in a variety of circumstances that only makes more prepared in our response. Working with other emergency agencies with-in the county and surrounding areas, assures a response that can integrate seamlessly to save more lives.”
All agencies involved plan to continue these training partnerships in the future. Fishers Fire and Emergency Services and Fishers Police have run these trainings for six years.
Schools, businesses, and organizations can find more information about to become better prepared at this link.
Photos provided by Fishers Fire Department