Law enforcement and medical professionals train for tactical emergency



As gunfire erupts at a staged scene on the campus of Waukesha County Technical College, tactical teams are trying to save victims in a mass casualty training exercise. The training on Saturday is new to the state, and to many, it's needed as we've watched horrible scenes unfold at places like Virginia Tech. and Ft. Hood.

Instructor Chad Stiles says they realistic as possible with the fake blood and the injuries. "By having the bad guys actually shoot the air soft at the teams coming in, it helps increase their tactical awareness of situations," Stiles says.

One Milwaukee police officer - on the tactical enforcement unit - says the course is a matter of life or death for him. "You look at things and you try to gauge on how you'll take something like that on and survive."

Stiles says the experience on Saturday is easily transferred to real life experiences of EMT's and other first responders. He also says the training can be used in day-to-day operations of the departments and could save lives.

More classes are planned in the future to be all around the state. The training comes directly from what the military has learned in the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.