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Active shooter incidents trigger changes to EMS response

A Pa. rescue squad says instead of waiting for the entire building to be cleared and secured, EMS should start to move in as areas of the building are deemed safe

Montgomery News

WILLOW GROVE, Pa. — As tragedies like the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting and the Newtown, Conn., school shooting become more prevalent, emergency service providers have begun to adapt and change the way care is given.

Second Alarmers Rescue Squad Assistant Chief of Operations Ken Davidson said the definition of a safe area for active shooter events has become a “working definition,” and EMS providers have recognized the need to move out of the safe zones and into areas they might not have gone five years ago.

“We need to get EMS to the victim, not get the victims to the EMS,” Davidson said to a training class of EMS providers Oct. 31.

Read full story: EMS look at new techniques for shooting incidents following tragedies like the Aurora, Newtown incidents

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