PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — As Central Texas children head back to school, first responders are making sure they're properly prepared to keep those students safe.
On Thursday, an active attack training was held in Pflugerville. The training involved a simulation of a mass shooting involving children.
Cpt. Trevor Stokes with Travis County ESD No. 2 said it's important to be prepared in the event of this type of situation.
"These events continue to occur," Stokes said. "It’s our ability to learn from them, adapt and be more efficient."
First responders with ESD No. 2, the Pflugerville Police Department and Lake Travis Fire Rescue participated in the exercise.
"These are the victims we are bringing out. They are getting triaged and putting [them] in an ambulance. As you see, we are bringing in another ambulance," Stokes said, describing some of the training. "The biggest thing is [to] rapidly asses and get them in the definitive care as soon as possible. The public expects us to train and be proficient when things happen."
But these first responders aren't the only ones preparing. Other agencies are focusing on how to stop these attacks before they even start.
The Austin Regional Intelligence Center hosted a school safety symposium earlier this week to help local agencies work together to identify threats early.
“Assess someone’s behavior in situations prior to bad things happening and seeing what kind of resources we can get them and how we can partner with them in their life to get them on the right track to make sure, ultimately, some mass attack or targeted violence doesn't happen," Det. West Williams with the Austin Police Department said.
