Parishioners of Christ the King Church in Kahului, Maui, participate in shooter senario training session(Photo courtesy of Christ the King Parish)
By Carol Ursua
Special to the Herald
Picture this scenario. You’re in church. Mass has begun. All of a sudden shots are fired. There is a gunman in the church. What do you do? Do you run, scream, or stand there frozen in disbelief? The “shooter” could be a visitor or even a parishioner.
On April 24 and 25 the EPIC (Emergency Prepared readiness Increasing Community awareness) unit of the Maui Police Department educated parishioners at Christ the King Church in Kahului on what to expect and what to do if this should happen.
The guest speakers were Sgt. Joy Medeiros, Sgt. Jan Pontanilla and officer Trinidad Kaleo Alconcel.
The first day of the training was an educational experience. The second day presented four scenarios acted out by the police department’s SWAT team and others. The team with the assistance of Maui Police Department personnel used actual guns with blanks. Afterward, we had a lot of questions that the crew addressed.
Each of us experienced the scenes differently. We shared with each other what we did and what we should have done. Once shots are fired, you have to determine where the shooter is. If the person was in the church, you would hide, duck down, even fight aggressively or run out of the church to a secured area and help those around you.
We learned that it takes 3-5 minutes for police to arrive once a 911 call is made. The presenters taught us how to use our cell phones to text the dispatch at 911 and how to give our exact location and a description of what is happening. With that information, officers would be immediately dispatched. Dispatchers may then ask more questions to determine what other help is needed.
Once the shooter is captured, it will take up to three hours to make sure the area is secured and the fire department with paramedics are able to enter the area to assist those in need.
We thank the EPIC unit team for educating those attending the two-day training session. We were told we were the first Catholic church in Hawaii to go through this training. We made a video of the training to use in the future. We encourage other churches and organizations to call upon the EPIC unit here on Maui to take the training. You will benefit with a sense of awareness and safety for all.
