Think about the unthinkable. The mass casualty events that we see much too frequently on television every week could happen in our small communities on the Eastern Shore. Part of being ready to handle those events is good consistent and coordinated training among our volunteer fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and emergency medical services. Practice and familiarity with working together in an incident command situation can only happen with repetition and continuity.

The new Emergency Services Training Campus in Easton, Maryland will provide this centralized training for hundreds of firemen, law enforcement officers, and emergency services providers once it is completed in the next few years.

A recent interview with Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble, First Sargent J.R. Dobson, Talbot County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Patrol/Operations Commander, and Easton Police Chief Alan Lowrey revealed the importance of training in their day-to-day operations.

Citing a recent Department of Justice report on the Uvalde shooting, Sheriff Gamble explains, “With the rise in school safety issues, these reports are requiring more training for law enforcement. So, we think it’s essential as we continue to try to protect our schools that we have a location here that we can use to do these combined trainings.”

“By doing training locally, there will be less of an expense to the taxpayer.”

According to Sargent Dobson, there is a need for a centralized location that can be used for many different reasons, whether it’s for fire, law enforcement, or emergency medical services.

“Right now we have to go to Salisbury or Sykesville for Simunition™ firearms training and active shooter training. Having this more specialized training here where we can train with the Easton Police Department will be more convenient and make our department more self-sufficient with specialized training,” comments Sargent Dobson.

Simunition™ is a brand of non-lethal training ammunition used by law enforcement and military personnel for realistic training scenarios.

“Currently, there has not been much opportunity for us all to train together in one location. When something bad happens, you can’t do it alone in a smaller organization. With active violence, active shooter events, manmade disasters, and plane crashes – all those things require integration of not only law enforcement but also of fire and emergency medical services. In particular, this training campus will enable us to expand our work as a unified command and enhance our response,” adds Chief Lowrey.

“In my experience, one of the key components to effective training is to do it with repetition. The skills need to be repeated over and over. When it’s local, it allows you to do that. This will allow us to get this repetition with our partners in the fire department and emergency medical services.”

“When police reform took effect two years ago, there’s a lot more mandated training, unfunded mandates from the state legislature on training – both physical assessments and psychological tests for every police officer,” Sheriff Gamble states.

According to Sheriff Gamble and Chief Lowrey, the tower on the training campus will enable them to climb a barricade which is required for the assessment. The classroom at the new facility will enable them to hold the basic SWAT School, which is not just for the Talbot County Sheriff’s and Easton Police Department. It also draws people from around the region who are trying to get their basic SWAT certification.

“It is going to be worth every penny of the $5 million needed to build this facility to train more people to respond in our community,” adds Sheriff Gamble.

“We owe it not only to the community that we serve, but we all owe it to our employees and their families that we give them a fighting chance to be successful when they do encounter these emergencies,” adds Chief Lowrey.

The training campus will also offer the opportunity for K-9 Training, whether tracking, criminal apprehension, or building/car searches. The Talbot County Sheriff’s Department currently has four dogs and the Easton Police Department has four dogs that could train there.

To donate to the Emergency Services Training Campus Public Safety Campaign, contact Brett Whitehead at (302) 236-6249 or by email at whitenj20@gmail.com or visit foevfd.org.