Grady Memorial Hospital to hold active shooter drill March 22

Jessica Lane, The Express-Star, Chickasha, Okla.
·1 min read

Mar. 12—Grady Memorial Hospital will prepare for a different kind of emergency next week.

GMH announced on Monday that an active shooter drill will take place on the hospital campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, March 22. Residents who live near the hospital may hear simulated gunfire and notice a large presence of law enforcement during the drill, according to a press release from the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.

Drill procedures will be based on the Active Threat Integrated Response Course for hospitals, which improves communication and response between first responders during an active shooter situation at healthcare facilities, the release said.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, future hospital trainings will use Chickasha as a model for hospital drills. Moreover, this will be the first Active Threat Integrated Response Course drill for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

In addition to medical staff, several other agencies are expected to participate, including the Grady County Sheriff's Office, Grady County Emergency Management, the Chickasha Police Department, the Chickasha Fire Department and the Oklahoma Department of Homeland Security.

In February, the hospital participated in a "run, hide, fight" drill. At a Grady County Commissioners meeting in February, GMH CEO, Kean Spellman spoke a little about the upcoming Active Threat Integrated Response Course drill in March.

At the meeting he said there are special considerations when dealing with an active shooter at a healthcare facility, such as medical workers' tendencies to run towards the sound of danger and multiple exits in the layout of a hospital.