Panel to feature four Hamilton County officials . . .
Hamilton County leaders, many of whom were on the front lines of the Noblesville West Middle School shooting, will speak for the first time this coming Tuesday.
Mark Heirbrandt, president of the Hamilton County Commissioners; Mark Bowen, Hamilton County Sheriff; Shane Booker, Hamilton County EMA Director; and Mike Snowden, Executive Director of Communications for Hamilton County will be the keynote speakers at the Indiana Association of County Commissioners’ annual conference at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel, 31 W. Ohio St.
The panel, entitled “Shaping a Safe and Secure Community,” will focus on the critical training and preparedness activities Hamilton County first responders underwent ahead of the May 25 shooting. Ironically, Hamilton County’s Public Safety Communications staff trained on active assailant incidents just the day before the shooting.
“We treat every day as a training day and we are very fortunate to have employees that understand the importance of training and preparedness,” Snowden said. “While we never want to relive that day, I am confident that our staff will handle the next large event with the same professionalism and calm resolve as we handled that one.”
Hamilton County’s Emergency Management team also hosted several multi-agency active assailant training sessions, including one that brought together law enforcement, fire, dispatchers and hospital personnel in a tactical setting, prior to the shooting.
“Unfortunately, it’s something we can never be too prepared for,” said Heirbrandt. “Thankfully the training our first responders underwent prior to the shooting helped produce the best possible outcome that day. We’re happy to share the lessons learned with others in the hope of saving more lives.”