Report: Emergency Teams Have Quicker Response Time Since LAX Shooting
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A report finds Los Angeles emergency teams are demonstrating quicker response times in the aftermath of November's deadly shooting at LAX.
The tragedy prompted months of intense training for rescuers and Tuesday the L.A. Board of Commissioners received a report on their progress.
"This is where we will utilize groups of firefighters, in conjunction with law enforcement, to actually enter what we call the warm zones of an active shooting incident to provide lifesaving measures to the victims and extricate them quickly and transport them much more quickly than in the old days," L.A. City Fire Department Deputy Chief Joe Castro said.
In the LAX shooting on Nov. 1, officials say there was a delay of eight to 10 minutes before LAFD paramedics entered terminal 3. Paul Anthony Ciancia, 23, has been charged in the shootings that killed a TSA agent and wounded several other people in the airport.
"A lot of that is due to the complexity of Los Angeles International Airport," Castro said. "We have conducted scores of training sessions with law enforcement: LAFD, LAPD, LAWA Police Department."
The training is called Tactical Emergency Medical Support, which involves units going into a "hot zone" or any dangerous situation that may involve gunfire.
In the LAFD report, the department says a delay of as long as 10 minutes should never happen again.
"What if there had been more than one shooter, and what if there had been more victims in there, bleeding to death?" Castro said. "How could we get to them quicker? And how can we design a program that offers maximum protection to the fire and EMS people going into the 'warm zone'?"
The report essentially shows that if given the proper training and equipment, rescuers will offer assistance and will do so more efficiently.
