The situation was manufactured, but the possibility of something similar is unfortunately a reality.

Staff and residents at Avamere Olympic Rehabilitation of Sequim, along with representatives of the Sequim Police Department, got a close look earlier this month at the skilled nursing facility’s plans and preparedness for an active shooter event.

Avamere Communities manager Duane Smith said nursing facilities must meet a federal requirement to complete an exercise of a disaster drill and training each year.

“With the growing number of shooting-related incidents in medical facilities, our community is facilitating this drill to grow our knowledge and preparedness if such an emergency was to occur,” he wrote.

Sequim Police officers Devin McBride and Kyle Resser led more than three-dozen staffers in a brief workshop on Sept. 7 that offered guidance on what to do in an “active shooter” situation, in which an individual or individuals threaten or carry out violent acts at the facility located at 1000 S. Fifth Ave.

McBride and Resser, both of whom offer training in these kinds of scenarios, detailed a three-pronged approach to dealing with a situation generally labeled, “active shooter,” though the weapon(s) of choice aren’t always a gun.

The first, McBride, said, is run.

“The natural response is to take care of people you are charged to care for,” he said, but in an emergency like this, the best thing to do is flee and only return when it is safe to do so.

Second, McBride said, is to hide in the room you are in. Shut the door, turn off the lights and media, close the blinds, find a place to hide and stay quiet.

“Law enforcement will come and get you at some point,” McBride said. “We are not going to leave you.”

He mentioned that during the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, some survivors closed themselves inside a closet and didn’t come out until they saw law enforcement show their badges.

“Perfect,” McBride said.

The third approach is to fight off an attacker, he said.

“It’s a personal decision, but it’s a good one,” McBride said, noting that almost anything can be used as a weapon to defend one’s self.

Aim for the head, Resser noted, and use the action as a distraction to flee.

Emergency plans

Avamere staff said they noticed right away a flaw in their current plan, primarily based on a fire drill: They have a meeting place outside the facility to gather and regroup.

Instead, staff and Sequim officers agreed that employees should flee the situation — on foot — as far as they can until the attacker is neutralized.

Smith added that staff should hold up their hands as they exit the building.

“It’s going to be very emotional. We want to make sure people coming to help get the people trying to harm you,” he said.

Drill in action

Following the briefing, Avamere staff announced the drill and had its employees — about 40 that afternoon — briskly exit the building. (Residents and staff were made aware of the drill prior to that day, staff said.)

McBride and Resser said that staff did well during the drill, that most doors were closed and media turned off, and that most of them exited the buildings with hands raised to show emergency responders they are not a threat.

“A lot of hands were up while they were exiting,” he said.

Avamere staff said they have a few things to tweak in their plan: along with nixing the meeting spot, they need to make sure the intercom is loud enough for everyone to hear the emergency call, and to make an adjustment with a door that is locked to prevent residents from medical elopement.

McBride said that Avamere and other similar facilities would would face housing issues in the aftermath of such an event if the entire facility became a crime scene; the residents could not stay there.

Smith said there are some agreements in place already to house Avamere’s residents, but they would have to figure out staffing as their policy requires a staff go along with patients.

“I am pleased to see that we are taking part in a proactive training,” said Sharon Hogue, Resident Council President at Avamere Olympic Rehabilitation of Sequim, in a statement.

“We are a vulnerable population and seeing in the media how these events are happening more and more in many communities and health care settings makes us feel safer knowing my caregivers are trained and will know how to protect us.”