DEERFIELD — Six hundred people from various public agencies, police and fire departments, colleges and faith-based organizations came together this week for a conference on active-shooter incidents.
Sponsored by the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Springfield office, the conference inside the Hess Center for the Arts gathered emergency response experts for a day of tutorials and presentations. The press was not allowed due to the sensitive information presented. There were no drills or training sessions conducted during the conference.
Raine Brown, the homeland security advisory council program manager who works at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, said most of the people in attendance represented the four counties of western Massachusetts.
She said there were several speakers who have been involved with investigations into shootings, including the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre and the mass shooting at Hartford Distributors in 2010.
Brown said Deerfield Police Chief John Paciorek Jr., who sits on the Homeland Security Council, has an established relationship with Deerfield Academy and helped book Wednesday’s event on the campus.
She said comfort dogs from the Hope Animal Assisted Crisis Response Team were present to relieve any stress people might feel from the unsettling and upsetting information and images at the conference.
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