Safety was on the minds of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Thursday morning.
Brian Smith, Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Public Relations Coordinator said, "Due to recent events across the nation it was chosen by our Recreation Department and our administrator to work with Chattanooga Police Department for active shooter training."
Officials wouldn't comment on exactly what was learned for fear of compromising the effort. Managers and full time employees from 17 community centers in Chattanooga ran through live exercises and drills. Smith said, "It is a safety measure here to try eliminate any sort of casualties, any sort of problems as quickly as possible." Smith said thousands of people visit the centers each year and managers need to be aware. East Chattanooga Recreation Center Facility Manager Ronald Drake said he thought the training was very beneficial and informative. Drake said, "Theres some things I've learned that I never knew and dealing with children, particularly in the summer we deal with large groups, and if something like that did take place, now I have an idea on how to deal with it."
The department said on location responders play a crucial role during initial moments of an attack. Smith said, "We already have policies and procedures in place, but as we have seen these tradegies across the country, this is just extended education and possibly an update to some of the procedures that we have." Representatives with the Parks and Recreation say that these types of exercises will become mandatory at each facility in the future.
