Dallas police, Methodist Health participate in active shooter response training
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - As the manager of a Dallas nightclub, Ryan Chriss came ready to absorb as much information as possible.
"I feel like for the first-time people are more aware of the things that are going on," he said.
"Unfortunately, we've seen mass casualties in entertainment districts across the country whether it's Orlando, Chattanooga, Cincinnati just this summer," 24HourDallas Project Manager Bryan Tony said.
That's the reason 24HourDallas, a non-profit focused on making the city's nightlife safe, asked Dallas police and Methodist Health Systems to participate in an active shooter response training Tuesday night at It'll Do Nightclub.
Police told attendees, if you find yourself in one of these situations:
- Your best option is to run. Try to get at least one street over from where the shooting is occurring. Don't go to your car because parking lots have been known as ambush points.
- If you can't run, hide. Lock and secure doors if possible. Turn off lights and silence your cell phone.
- Then if you ultimately find yourself face to face with a shooter, try to arm yourself with any means possible and fight. If you're injured, don't stop.
"What we want to teach is be aware and realize the situation, be aware of your surroundings and be able to react to it as fast as you can," DPD Training Commander Jose Garcia said.
Treating people who are injured and bleeding out is another essential part of increasing survival rates.
Stop the Bleed teaches to apply direct pressure to a wound until first responders arrive - this can be done with your hand - or if you have a trauma kit with a tourniquet or compression dressings, use that.
"I think if you hear any of the stories from anyone else, that's probably where people are able to help out the most, Chriss said.
He's grateful he now has these lifesaving skills.
Police said they plan to hold more of these trainings in the future and are taking requests from the community. They want to get this information out to as many people as possible.
