PROSPER, Texas — Lewiston, Maine is about 1,900 miles from Prosper, Texas. But the recent attacks by a lone gunman, and the human toll he left behind, were not far at all from the thoughts of first responders on Thursday training for the possibility of a similar tragedy here.
The Town of Prosper, along with other federal, state, and local jurisdictions, participated in a statewide Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack (CCTA) exercise designed to simulate a complex terrorist attack scenario at Prosper ISD Stadium and Prosper Central Fire Station.
The primary objective was "to assess the readiness of first responders and communications personnel in managing a coordinated statewide attack involving multiple agencies with overlapping jurisdictions."
But with a death toll rising, and a gunman still on the loose in the state of Maine, the North Texas drill took on added meaning.
"Heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking," said Prosper Fire Department Chief Stuart Blasingame of the events unfolding in Maine.
"The exercise that we did today, in light of everything going on, is just a sobering reminder of how important things like this are," added Jeremy Sherrod, the regional director of the North Texas Region of the Department of Public Safety.
The mass casualty exercise, which also included the FBI, Collin County, and Prosper ISD, was planned months ago, long before the attacks in Maine and even before the Allen Outlet Mall shooting in May that claimed eight lives.
"It's not a matter of where it's gonna happen, it's when," Blasingame said. "But drills like today are so important to make sure that if it does, that we're prepared."
This preparation helped the different agencies learn to communicate with each other better, learn the best practices to eliminate threats and save lives when horrible days like this become all too real.
“Practicing mass casualty events with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners is an opportunity to establish best practices and develop relationships before an actual event occurs,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough. “Our law enforcement task forces and community partners are critical components to share information with the goal of preventing future incidents. The public also plays a part in vigilance, and we ask that suspicious behavior be reported to local police or the FBI.”
And Maine isn't that far away from North Texas after all. A former McKinney assistant fire chief retired in the state of Maine. His friend, the current Prosper police chief, says he called to check on him Wednesday.
"It's hitting everybody up in Maine hard," said Prosper Police Chief Doug Kowalski. "So no one in this room is that far removed from Maine."
“In light of tensions related to current global and national events, I am so grateful that these public safety agencies came together in the Town of Prosper to engage in such realistic training exercises,” said Prosper Mayor David Bristol. “Although we hope and pray that such training is never needed here, exercises like these are necessary and critically important to maintain the confidence and trust of our residents and people living in all of the areas of Texas that participated in these mock incidents.”