To those walking by, it was a frightening scene in Chicago's Loop Friday morning.
The streets around City Hall were blocked off, ambulances were standing by and incident command vehicles were parked down the middle of LaSalle Street.
There was no danger, it was just a drill. Police officers and firefighters were testing their response to someone inside with a gun inflicting casualties.
The deputy chief of the Chicago Police Departments Bureau of Special Operations said exercises like this are important because he doesn’t want his officers making mistakes “when the real thing is on the line.”
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Duane DeVries said, “by practicing these scenarios and learning from our mistakes we improve.” He called the hours-long exercise a success.
While police and firefighters train all the time, officials said it was important to conduct this exercise at City Hall because it's considered to be a high-value target
Active shooter drills are increasingly common in schools, but this is the first such drill first responders can remember at City Hall.
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"We have learned that logistically, it takes a lot of coordination,” said Marc Ferman, the Chicago Fire Department’s deputy chief of operations.
Ferman said dealing with large numbers of casualties also presents questions.
“Where do we hand patients off? Where do we set up triage? What’s the best way for ambulances to respond?” Ferman asked.
The whole drill was done while city employees were at their desks. DeVries said it was all part of the challenges and uncertainties these first responders will face if they ever have to do it for real.
“If we do it in a training facility, that’s all controlled by us,” he said. “In a real-life situation, we don’t have any control so we have to take that control.”
The takeaways, according to city departments, included the need for improved coordination and communications. Both things they had a chance to practice Friday, hoping they will never have to use what they learned.
