MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Meridian and other surrounding fire departments have teamed together to be as prepared as they can in case a situation such as a mass shooting occurs. In the event of a shooting in a public space, past protocol required the area to be fully secured before first responders can enter the area. However, with the new plan of action, officers are able to designate “Hot,” “Warm” and “Cold” zones to allow for prompt medical assistance.

“A hot zone would be wherever an active shooter is in the building, and you could take a structure like the mall, that’s a very large structure. So they could be at one end of the mall, but we may have people that are injured at the other end of the mall,” said Bill Priese, Chief of Training and EMS Operations for the Meridian Township Fire Department.

Fire and EMS workers will now be able to enter the “warm” zone to treat the injured victims while the event is still ongoing. According to Priese, quicker medical response is the key to saving lives.

“Most of the time, if people don’t die outright of their wounds, they sit there and bleed to death," said Priese. "The sooner we can get in there and provide basic tourniquets, bleeding control, there’s a new thing called an IT clamp to clamp wounds shut to let them clot and stop the bleeding, whatever we can do to do that we know we can save lives doing that.”

Keeping safety in mind, the Meridian Township Board passed the Assistance to Firefighters Grant. This grant will help pay for equipment such as bullet proof vests and helmets to keep the first responders safe during these procedures.

“We’re not arming EMS or Fire or anything like that, we’re simply saying hey, if you're going to go in under protection of law enforcement into these warm areas, we want you to have some protection, just like we would do in a hazmat scene,” said Priese.

The grant will help supply Meridian and five other local municipalities in a shared agreement, which allows for all the departments involved to share services and supplies in case of an emergency.