The Lubbock Police SWAT team, armed with guns and full tactical gear, stormed a Covenant Health System facility Wednesday to rescue hospital employees.
But, it was all for training.
“It’s very important to let our SWAT teams get as much real life experience as possible,” said Lubbock Police Lieutenant Ray Mendoza. “The more training they can get in these facilities, the better our response in the real thing.”
Natalie Ramello, Covenant’ s Regional Director of Compliance, Privacy and Risk Management said that the training is also important for employees.
“It’s simulating what it would be like if an active shooter came into our facility,” she said. “It shows how our staff would respond, what they would do with our patients, [and] how we would have bystanders and family members respond.”
SWAT members used rubber bullets and blanks to simulate live fire and Covenant employees had professional makeup work to appear wounded.
“Just seeing somebody laying on the ground is not very realistic,” Mendoza said. “But when you see blood…if you see limbs hanging off, it’s going to evoke a reaction and a physical response. So, we have to be prepared for that.”
While the wounds and bullets weren’t real, Mendoza said the experience was.
“The real thing can happen,” he said. “So, hospitals, banks – we’re going to train in as many facilities as possible. The more they can overcome, the more prepared they will be.”