Wildhorse Aids in Emergency Preparedness

During the summer of 2016, members of the Hermiston Police Department provided emergency preparedness training to several local entities/organizations.

Members of the Hermiston School District Administration, Umatilla School District Staff, Umatilla-Morrow Head Start, local churches, local businesses, and citizens, received the training.

Consistent with the principles of Avoid, Deny, Defend, Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said those receiving the training were advised of facts such as the average police response time, chain of events that will take place post-incident, and more. One component of any large scale event will be police officers actively assisting medical personnel, Edmiston said.

On May 9, the Hermiston Police Department received a $4,432 grant from the Wildhorse Foundation for the purchase of Active Shooter First Aid Kits. Edmiston said his officers of this department have received additional training on the items contained in the kit.

The kits are contained in a heavy duty bag issued to all patrol officers. The officers carry the kit in their respective patrol vehicles making them ready to deploy. Each kit contains two chest seals, two CAT tourniquets, two pressure bandages and two packages of QuickClot gauze. These medical supplies are designed to be used for life threating trauma related injuries such as gunshots, stab wounds and victims of explosions.

“This grant greatly enhances our community’s preparedness,” said Edmiston. “The Wildhorse Foundation continues to be incredibly generous with numerous entities in the Umatilla County region.”