AURORA, Colo. — First responders learn different strategies to save people's lives in mass shootings with every tragedy that happens.
The way they've handled more recent mass shootings, like the Club Q shooting in 2022, is much different than the way they handled the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999.
Aurora Police Division Chief Chris Juul said the way his team responds to mass shootings has changed dramatically in the last few decades.
“A big impetus to change things was Columbine and the amount of time that took to organize and get help inside the school," Juul said. "It really was the first thing to change that mindset that we cannot wait that amount of time any longer.”
Before 13 lives were taken at Columbine, officers focused on containing and controlling, and calling SWAT.
Now, whoever gets to an active shooter scene first heads in, even if they’re alone, because every second counts.
“And you know hundreds of rounds can be fired in a very short period of time,” Juul said.
Police also started training with fire and EMS personnel, rather than training on their own.
“It all becomes muscle memory training,” said Eric Hurst, the spokesman for South Metro Fire Rescue.
Hurst says training has expanded even more.
“There’s a lot more to it,” Hurst said. “Even working with school districts to try and bridge the gap in patient, and student-parent reunification.”
“We also identify some of the businesses, schools, hospitals and do additional training with them, as well as in their environment with their staff,” Juul said. “Teachers participate, medical staff are participating.”
Another big change over the decades has been equipment.
“I don’t think anyone entered into paramedic school or the fire academy and expected to be issued a ballistic vest and helmet, and train on running into an active shooter situation,” Hurst said.
That allows them to enter with police right away instead of staging themselves blocks away.
“The difference between life and death could simply just be a tourniquet,” Hurst said.
The mass shootings at Columbine High School, the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Arapahoe High School, and STEM High School Highlands Ranch are just some examples from Colorado.
First responders use these horrible situations from all over to learn from.
“They’re gracious enough to share that and be transparent with everyone else in the country and say ‘Here’s what went really well, and here are things that we could have done better,’” Hurst said.
The goal is that no more of these memorials have to be built for innocent people.
“Most of these people that commit these acts of violence there’s indicators,” Juul said. “And if somebody sees an indicator where we can do something proactively and preemptively, then we ask those people to say something and do something so that we can get them the help they need before this even happens,” Hurst said.
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