Wausau PD, NorthStar Restoration host public active shooter training

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - The Wausau Police Department teamed up with NorthStar Restoration Services in Wausau on Monday for the second year in a row to give people a chance to learn more about what they can do to keep themselves, and others safe during an active shooter situation.

This week will mark six years since that fateful day in March 2017, when four people’s lives were tragically taken in a shooting in Weston.

Lieutenant John Phillips, Wausau Police Department, said, “The training is mainly geared towards organizational leaders to be able to take the information that we provide and then take it back to their organization and start having conversations about how they’re doing, if they need to implement anything different, and try to give them some resources to come up with plans for themselves and their staff.”

Active shooters are sadly something we have become way too familiar with and in those times of crisis, the seconds and minutes of waiting for help to arrive can feel like hours. The Wausau Police Department knows this, and it’s why they are teaching the community tips that give everyone a better chance of survival.

“Having a plan in place and actually going over that and reviewing the organizational plan is really important, so the steps that we help provide and information we provide here can really be applied to a lot of different things, not just an active shooter response,” said Lt. Phillips.

Just like any other emergency situation, having a plan that prepares you for the worst can give you a significantly higher chance of getting through it. Whether you’re in your office or out at dinner, finding a safe area to go to and knowing how to get there in the quickest and most efficient way possible can make all the difference.

Lt. Phillips added that the training Monday is an effort to help people become more prepared if something like this were to happen. The training also discussed what the public can expect from first responders in that situation and what you can do to better help them.

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