It is an all-too-real and all-too-familiar scenario.
Two shooters have left people clinging to life on a public street, and the threat hasn't been contained.
It's the kind of situation Fort Worth Police's elite "Tactical Medic Unit" is ready for.
"If we've got an active shooter situation where we have casualties inside the building, we don’t have time to wait 15 or 20 minutes to finish securing the building to call EMS in," explains Officer Sean Romer.
It's something you don't see often in policing, a unit solely made up of police officers who are also paramedics. Fort Worth Police Department is proud to have nine of them, including Romer, who can go right into dangerous, unfolding situations and administer medical aid. Think SWAT scenarios, hostage situations or active shooters.
"EMS and fire, they can't go into that hot zone, where there may still be an active shooter or an active threat," Romer says, making sure to mention they're not replacing those entities, simply filling the gap.
On this day, they're letting us come along for a never-before-seen look into their training practices. This time around, the training is being led by a former Green Beret and a former Army Ranger-turned-emergency medicine doctor.
On everyone's minds are the events that unfolded in Las Vegas just days ago.
"This will be a single active shooter in the lobby," explains Johnny Wilson, the former Green Beret, as he tells us about one of the scenarios they're doing in FWPD's training facility.
Even with the scene still active, we watch as officers run in and start rendering aid.
"That can make the difference between life or death when applied quickly and efficiently," says Dr. Jeffrey Cain, a former Army Ranger.
There’s somebody from this unit on the streets of Fort Worth every single day of the week; they're hoping to bring that up to 24-hour coverage at some point soon.
The hope with all the efforts is to increase chances of survival in the face of unexpected violence.
