By NATE KING
Salina Post
Multiple emergency agencies, including the Saline County Sheriff's Mounted Patrol and Rescue Squad, came together at the Ottawa County State Lake on Sunday for a large-scale training exercise simulating a domestic violence shooting.
The exercise highlighted the critical need for swift cross-county communication in emergencies. The scenario tested the patrol volunteers under high-pressure conditions, ensuring they are prepared to respond effectively when real-life calls came in.
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, Ottawa County Fire District #4, Minneapolis EMS, Saline County Sheriff's Mounted Patrol and Rescue Squad, and a game warden from the Kansas Department of Wildlife all participated in the exercise.
Bennington Fire Chief Brian Breese was the first fire/EMS to arrive at the simulated scene and immediately took on the role of the incident commander. Ryan Murphy, a volunteer with Saline County Sheriff Mounted Patrol and Rescue Team, informed the press about the severity of the scenario and how response and search teams were being set out.
"The scenario was a domestic violence shooting out here at the lake. We saw one woman who was lying down. There was one deceased person, and then just right behind you, there was another gunshot victim to her leg," Murphy said.
EMS teams quickly assessed the gunshot victim's wounds and applied a tourniquet to her leg. EMS established a triage site, and two search boats were prepared to launch.
"There's an eight-year-old kid that's missing and possibly other victims that they haven't found that," Murphy said. "It could have happened because they heard the gunshots and took off running, maybe a ricochet round."
The Saline County Mounted Patrol deployed its "swift water" boat and began patrolling the shoreline looking for victims, including the missing boy.
"The swift water boat has a 30 horsepower motor on the back, but it's a jet drive, so it's the equivalent of a 40 horsepower," Murphy said. "We can actually take that into white water conditions. The swift watercraft is a rigid inflatable boat with an aluminum bottom."
First responders used the swift watercraft to transport a vital team member from one side of the lake to the other — Leroy, the bloodhound. Leroy is a scent-specific trailing dog, which means he is trained to follow the scent of a specific person and ignore all other distractions. Leroy was able to find the missing boy.
"They are to ignore everything else and follow the right person. So today, they went through a crowd and went right to the right kid. That's his job," Waddle said. "He rode back on the boat just as an opportunity for him to experience being on the boat because that's nothing he's ever done until tonight."
Another four-legged team member on the job for the training was Mac.
"Mac is a live find, wide area search dog," Waddle said. "He works off-leash, and we deploy him off the boat, and he goes and runs wild and finds anybody that's alive and sits there and barks."
As first responders continued to look for other victims, Murphy informed members of the press that the suspect in the scenario was in custody.
"I heard on the radio the suspect has been taken into custody, and they actually, because of the struggle that happened, they have canine bites on one leg, and then they actually have tasered arms in their back that EMS will have to take care of," Murphy said.
Throughout the scenario, Murphy held a deck of cards with written incidents and situations that would trigger certain events within the simulation. One of the cards triggered an incident that left one of the EMS ambulances with a flat tire and unable to move.
"We try to make the scenarios real world and a lot bigger than what people are used to," Murphy said. "You want to utilize all aspects. The Fire Department just showed up. They're going to help with searching for more victims. Both EMS agencies are on scene, and they are treating the wounded, and then the mounted patrol is here, and they're launching their boat to do a shoreline search to see if they can find any victims that might be on the shore or they jumped in the water."
While deputies and emergency responders worked on land, Saline County Mounted Patrol divers took to the water in search of a discarded firearm. Luckily, mounted patrol dive team member Preston Crawford located the pistol in the lake's shallows. He quickly placed it in a sealed bag under the custody of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office.
Also included in the exercise was a simulated car accident with vehicle passengers who were simulated relatives of those involved in the scenario's domestic incident.
"They were coming to check on their friends and family involved in the other part of this scenario, and the stress of this situation caused one of the ladies in the vehicle, who is simulated as 37 weeks pregnant, to go into labor," Murphy said.
Using the jaws of life, firefighters broke open the door, allowing the passengers to escape, and EMS took the pregnant woman to the hospital.
Bill Cooke, commander of the Saline County Sheriff's Mounted Patrol Rescue Squad, was proud of his team's response, energy, and communication during the scenario.
"We have a dive team, so if necessary, we can go underwater to find evidence and bodies, if need be," Cooke said. "Fortunately, here at this lake, the water wasn't real deep. We have an underwater metal detector, so a diver can put that on and go about 100 meters deep if needed. We've looked over at Milford and several streams and rivers around, trying to find evidence."
To Cooke's knowledge, few organizations in Kansas provide dive rescue services to law enforcement and fire departments.
"I think maybe the fire department in Junction City has added a few divers, but there's just a lot of that here in Kansas, partly because no one really likes to dive in Kansas because it's like chocolate milk," Cooke said. "You can't see anything. So everything we do is by feel. Again, the underwater sonar helps us locate things a little bit easier."
Cooke, who has volunteered with the mounted patrol since 2007, said although no horses were needed for this particular scenario, there are situations where horses are useful.
"If we would have been out in a big field and we were trying to search, we probably would have brought the horses because the elevation on a horse gives us the opportunity to maybe see better than guys walking in the ground," Cooke said.
Cooke said the mounted patrol helps respond to cattle rescues during the winter, especially during incidents like trailer rollovers on icy roads.
"We have the ability, with cattle panels, to go out assist the fire department in cutting open the trailer, and then with our horses, and with the equipment we have, we're able to get the cattle out of the trailer so that they can be taken off to a holding yard somewhere," Cooke said. "Last winter at I-135 and I-70, there was one that rolled over, and we went out and helped recover those cattle."
The Saline County Sheriff's Mounted Patrol operates entirely on a volunteer basis, with some members serving as deputies. The team is divided into two groups: "level ones," who have full law enforcement capabilities, and "level twos," who assist with non-law enforcement tasks. The mounted patrol frequently collaborates with local law enforcement and fire departments, often helping to secure crime scenes or assist in ice rescues.
"We back them up, and it's nice that the agencies work together, just like this today; this the first time we've had the opportunity to be up here. But I mean, if these guys call, we'll be here anytime we can help out," Cooke said.
The Saline County Sheriff's Mounted Patrol Rescue Squad meets on the second Monday of every month at 1020 West North Street, near the intersection of North and Broadway in Salina. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m., and anyone interested in learning more or volunteering is welcome to attend.
Find out more at the Saline County Sheriff's Mounted Patrol and Rescue Squad's Facebook page here.