Two days before Phoenix police officers came under attack while responding to a shots fired call, more than a dozen patrol officers and sheriff’s deputies in Cochise County took part in training that involved a similar critical incident scenario.
The daylong training provided by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on Wednesday is officially called Advanced Street Medicine. But the high-pressure course held at the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) firing range was equally focused on how to conduct a high-risk rescue of an injured person without getting anyone else injured.
The training is the brainchild of AGO staffer John Stevens, who has served the last six years as the agency’s law enforcement liaison. Stevens came to the AGO after time with the U.S. Navy, the Phoenix Police Department, and the Pinal County Attorney’s Office.
It was his job as an investigator in Pinal County which opened Stevens’ eyes to the “great need” for affordable training that did not require law enforcement officers to travel to Phoenix. He also quickly learned that officers in rural communities faced an extra set of stressors than those in Phoenix – a dearth of back-up officers and long waits for EMTs or Paramedics.
“In Phoenix, there are several officers who could respond if an officer needed assistance, but for many small departments any back-up could be quite far away,” Stevens told Arizona Daily Independent during a break in Wednesday’s training.
Stevens is certified through the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) board, is still in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and is a certified Paramedic, This provides him the unique perspective of peace officer, military, and medical emergency responder, along with his work for the AGO, according to Stevens.
And it is clear Stevens loves being a trainer – this week he was in Cochise County. Over the next four months he will be on the road to Greenlee County, then Coconino County and Apache County before ending up in Navajo County.
He also conducts firearms proficiency training and training on the administration of live-saving opioid reversal medication. Which explains why Stevens has put more than 150,000 miles on his work vehicle the last six years.
The Advanced Street Medicine training is geared to patrol officers and deputies on scene with a trauma victim, which could include a fellow officer, while there is still an active threat.
But before anyone could get rescued Wednesday, Stevens and his two training assistants put the attendees from CCSO, Douglas Police Department, and Tombstone Marshal’s Office through multiple live-fire target exercises. Hundreds of rounds of live ammo were fired, including ones where an officer must shoot one-handed (as if injured) and several dealing with a jammed gun while under threat.
“It’s designed to have an officer understand now what they may experience and how to deal with it, instead of having them encounter a problem for the first time while on scene,” Stevens explained. “We want to make sure they have time to think through what is happening.”
As the hours of exercises wore on, it was time to plan and practice options for utilizing a two patrol vehicle rescue -one as a cover car while the injured person gets loaded into the other- to get to the mannequin, load it, and exit to a safe triage area.
Several minutes were spent getting quickly in and out of the patrol vehicles – made all the more cumbersome by bulky gunbelts. Decisions also had to be made of who should drive, as a left-handed officer does not have to lean out the door as far to lay down cover fire as a right-hander.
And there was the added issue of communication among the rescuers, who don’t have time to use the radio and may not even be from the same agency. Without communication, Stevens stressed, the operation could be delayed and a rescuer or a citizen gawker could be imperiled.
There is also the important step of making sure someone remembers to open the rear door during the chaos, as the rescuer in the backseat cannot unlock the door from the inside. The rescuers then practiced emergency triage and what patient information needed to be relayed to an incoming medivac helicopter.
The intensive training is very valuable, according to Tombstone Marshal Jim Adams.
“The gravity of the need for this type of training cannot be overstated,” Adams said. “Immediate medical intervention and the ability to recover an injured party from a hostile environment applies not only to Law Enforcement, but to the public as well.”
Adams noted that in rural communities like Tombstone, a deputy is usually the first emergency responder to arrive on scene, whether it is a shooting, stabbing, or even a disaster situation. Stevens’ training program provides valuable tools for responding to such situations, he added.
“Our ability to intervene in a medically inspired way has tremendous potential to save lives,” Adams said. “It is also not impossible to assume we may someday respond to an active shooter situation with downed citizens, as well as downed officers.”
