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Commonwealth Health Holds Active Shooter Drill At Two Hospitals To Train Staff

SCRANTON  — Some say mass shootings are becoming a common occurrence in our country. That’s why one health care provider in Scranton simulated an active-s...

SCRANTON  -- Some say mass shootings are becoming a common occurrence in our country. That’s why one health care provider in Scranton simulated an active-shooter drill Friday morning at two of its hospitals.

Ambulances pulled into the emergency room entrance at Moses Taylor Hospital as a gunshot victim was wheeled inside, one of 18 people shot at a mall.

It’s not a real active-shooter situation, just a drill Commonwealth Health staged for staff at both Moses Taylor and Regional Hospital of Scranton.

“We see these events on the news as everyone else does and our reaction to that was, we need to make sure that we are prepared,” said Maggie Lipperini.

This is in response to the seemingly growing number of mass shootings that are taking place at almost any possible location: a nightclub in Orlando, a festival in Las Vegas, a holiday party in San Bernardino, a church in Charleston; the list goes on and on.

Hospital staff are literally lifesavers in those critical moments where every second counts.

"It’s one of those things I hope I never see,” said Dr. Philip Huffman with Commonwealth Health. "If I do then it’s a rough situation, sometimes we get these rough situations in life and you do the best you can, I mean that’s all you can do.”

Victim Joshua Brown of Nicholson says he volunteered because he wanted to do his part to help with their training.

“With everything that’s going on in the media with all the mass shootings, I think it’s important for all the medical personnel in the area to become familiar with what to do in those situations so it was just nice to be able to help them,” said Brown.

Still Brown said being a part of this drill did really make what is happening across the country all the more real to him.

"It definitely puts on perspective on the situation because inside of just watching something on the news about, you kind of get to be like, 'what?' This is what everyone’s going to do.”

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