Contact: Erika Martinez
(505)986-4263
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2014
Senator Michael Padilla Introduces Bill for Active Shooter Training in Bernalillo County
Santa Fe, NM – Senator Michael Padilla (D-14-Bernalillo) introduced Senate Bill 282 on Monday that calls for an appropriation of $50,000 to the Bernalillo County Fire Department (BCFD) to provide an active shooter response program.
“Active shooter training will help save the lives of both our public safety professionals and citizens that find themselves in dangerous situations,” said Sen. Padilla. “The primary objective of this legislation is to provide training to help first responders get to injured citizens faster and safer.”
According to Diego Arencón, President of the Albuquerque Area International Firefighters Union Local 244, funds would go towards 230 personnel for 1840 hours of overtime in training. BCFD will have two pilot small scale trainings followed by weekly trainings with full-time field deputies. The first training would occur March 1 of this year and continue weekly with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office until all personnel have completed the initial training process. A full scale incident scenario will then take place in July in each region of the county. The goal is to obtain three complete incidents before the beginning of 2015.
“This training is critical for today’s adverse societal demands. Senator Michael Padilla has shown great leadership and foresight in spearheading this public safety initiative,” said Arencón. “We implore all municipalities/counties to invest in active shooter training for their firefighters and paramedics.”
###