Emergency Response Team continues training

The Tioga County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response team continued its reality-based training last Saturday by acting out a hostage scenario on a school bus. Armed with orange tipped air-soft guns that are similar to their own equipment, officers had a chance to practice entry and coverage of a dangerous scenario. 

“The goal of this is to be prepared for any school violence,” Lieutenant Shawn Nalepa said. “We’ve already trained inside schools for active shooters, what we’re trying to do is to extend it out of the facilities. “

Role players were in the bus acting out the scenario of a desperate father who recently lost custody of his child. He takes the bus with the driver and three students and demands for his kids back, or to see the county judge. Nalepa said that this would be a predicable scenario, the man would either be causing harm or trying to get attention. 

“Just because something like this hasn’t happened locally, doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Rather than waiting for an incident to happen, we’re trying to figure out what hazards may present themselves,” he said. 

The scenario was run twice to give all officers a chance at the different roles, which included entering the bus, breaking windows, and covering the bus from different points. 

This is a part of the reality-based training that the sheriff’s office takes part in to be ready for any situation. They trained for a similar school bus scenario last month, as well as inside Owego Free Academy for an active shooter scenario. 

The officers tried to make this scenario as real as they could, but with safety in mind. The weapons they use in training mimic their own in weight, size and even kickback when fired. Everyone inside and outside of the bus was wearing protection and were in character. The volunteer playing the father inside the bus could be heard yelling and hitting the roof to get attention, just as a distressed father would behave if the situation were real. 

Last month at the Owego Transportation Facility, the Emergency Response Team beat up a bus for more training. “It looks like a bomb went off,” Nalepa said after the training with many of the bus windows smashed. But they would rather be prepared for a situation versus reacting to it, he said, and they couldn’t prepare without the cooperation and support from the Owego Apalachin School District. 

“There’s potential for violence anywhere, we just want to be that much closer to it,” Nalepa said. 

The Emergency Response Team also trains for drug raids, search warrants, and other high-risk entries in order to be prepared for what they may encounter in the field.