Tyler Fire, EMS, School Personnel to Hold Tactical Training Event

TYLER — The City of Tyler Emergency Management officials, along with the Tyler ISD transportation department and local EMS personnel, participate today in a joint training exercise to assess emergency preparedness procedures. The exercise, which will include various scenarios designed to assess emergency operations during actual incidents, began at 8 a.m. and will conclude around 12:30 p.m. Activities and stations are set up at the Tyler Fire Department Training Facility located at 701 Fair Park Dr., along with areas in the Rose Stadium parking lot.

TISD employees are rotating through four stations in the stadium parking lot that include:
• obstacle driving course;
• evacuation station to practice evacuation skills for students with and without special needs;
• EMS triage station to teach what to expect should major accidents occur;
• Fire Department presentation reinforcing the proper use of portable fire extinguishers.

Officials say this will provide TISD transportation staff with an opportunity to become familiar with the various rescue operations and tools that could be used in the event of an actual emergency involving a school bus. The Fire Department will also provide a presentation on the appropriate use of portable fire extinguishers commonly carried on school buses. Additionally, the exercise will allow emergency responders an avenue to become familiar with the various types of school buses in the TISD fleet.

Citizens in the area of the training exercise should expect to see multiple Fire Department and EMS vehicles in the area, along with short periods of rising smoke during the drill, and should not be alarmed. Additionally, TISD will have multiple buses on site for use in the training.

“Tyler ISD is always striving to equip our transportation staff with the latest skills they need to keep our students safe,” John Bagert, Tyler ISD transportation director, said. “The tactical training event is part of our continuous effort to provide the safest experiences possible for our staff and students.”