ATLANTA — With so many big events in Atlanta and thousands expected for the World Cup, first responders spent the day training to make sure everyone is safe.
Atlanta police and fire staged a mass casualty drill at Centennial Olympic Park.
It may have looked like chaos in the heart of downtown Atlanta, but it was all part of carefully planned training.
“We have been training for this for a few years now,” Sgt. Matthew John-Pierre with the Atlanta Police Department said.
Officers with APD and crews with Atlanta Fire Rescue simulated a mass casualty scenario, testing how they would respond if disaster struck during a major event.
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“Anything can happen. We’ll just be ready to respond to anything,” Assistant Police Chief Carven Tyus told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter.
The drill focused on quickly securing a scene, treating the injured, and getting patients to hospitals as fast as possible.
“The number one thing is to stop the violence. After we stop the violence, we want to save as many lives as possible,” Atlanta Assistant Fire Chief Terrence Simon said.
The exercise comes as Atlanta prepares to host matches for the FIFA World Cup -- an event expected to draw thousands of visitors.
And while Monday’s scene may have been a drill, officials said the lessons learned here could make all the difference when it matters most.
“We learn every time. We make mistakes every time, which is the reason we train so we don’t make the same mistakes in the field.” Said Lt. Stephen Krieger with the Atlanta Police Department.
We’re told emergency officials will do these trainings regularly and will continue to do so up until the FIFA World Cup games
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