STONE HARBOR – Police Chief Thomas Schutta briefed Stone Harbor Borough Council Jan. 19 on the county’s effort to establish municipal Rescue Task Force (RTF) initiatives, a move the councilendorsed later in its regular business meeting.
Schutta said the concept grew out of an effort by the Arlington County Virginia Fire Department’s 2009 review of active shooter incidents across the nation.
The goal of an RTF is to allow emergency medical personnel the ability to intervene in such an incident under the direction and support of local law enforcement. EMS (emergency medical services) technicians would have the equipment and training to provide emergency wound stabilization for victims and facilitate their extraction from the scene.
The RTF provides “an integrated response of law enforcement and emergency medical personnel at an active shooter or mass casualty incident,” Schutta said.
A state grant provided funding for equipment and training for the first five years of the program, with the municipality responsible for continuing funding after that period.
