March 18, 2020, San Diego, CA: Scenic photos of the exterior of the ballpark at Petco Park in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres)
At the end of January, subject matter experts and staff from LSU’s National Center for Biomedical Research and Training/Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education (NCBRT/ACE) travelled to California to deliver a number of its emergency response training to San Diego Padres security staff and other emergency responders.
From January 24th to February 2nd, LSU NCBRT/ACE conducted three classes at Petco Park. These courses included Law Enforcement Active Shooter Emergency Response, Active Threat Integrated Response Course, and Critical Decision Making for Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks. Delivered together, these courses provide a comprehensive training infrastructure that connects the many different responders during a threat or mass casualty event.
Participants included security staff, local and county law enforcement, EMS, firefighters, and private security personnel. Overall, 75 responders participated in the trainings.
“We believed this was a great opportunity to invite local fire, police, EMS and security partners to gain more knowledge and experience related to active shooters, mass casualty incidents and pre-planning tabletops,” said Padres Senior Manager of Event Security and Operations Lauren Hall.
Hall learned about LSU NCBRT/ACE’s trainings capabilities through other courses LSU NCBRT/ACE had conducted in the San Diego area and wanted to bring the training to Petco Park. She said her organization gained many skills, including best practices for response in active shooter situations, communicating, and collaborating with local partners. Hall said it was also helpful to have an outside, expert view of the ballpark and it brought up new items to discuss and plan for in their emergency response capabilities.
“The instructors that delivered courses I had previously attended had years of experience in police, fire and EMS that they incorporated into their teachings, which provided a great insight into why the subject matter was important,” Hall said. “We believed the training would be beneficial to host as we prepare for Safety Act re-certification with DHS.”
In the future, Hall said that the Padres would like to bring additional trainings to the park, and they will encourage other team members and local partners to attend or host LSU NCBRT/ACE trainings.
Many participants noted that highlights of the trainings included the hands-on learning experience, the variety of applicable scenarios for their specific community, and the ability to practice skills from the courses with other agencies.
“The instructors did an incredible job of tailoring the scenarios to be relevant to the ballpark,” said one participant from the ATIRC course. “The course content encouraged open dialogue and communication with other entities and allowed us to practice newly learned skills.”
About LSU NCBRT/ACE:
LSU NCBRT/ACE is a nationally recognized center for emergency preparedness and response training located at Louisiana State University’s flagship campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We provide mobile training to both the national and international emergency response community. LSU NCBRT/ACE has expertise in research, development and delivery of training in the areas of specialized law enforcement operations; biological incident response; food and agriculture safety and security; school safety; and instructional design and technique. For more information on LSU NCBRT/ACE’s courses and resources, please visit ncbrt.lsu.edu.
