Parks: This Is Not A Drill

Park Stories

Active Shooter Preparedness in Parks

By Josh Campbell
Imagine a holiday weekend at a park bustling with visitors when you hear what sounds like fireworks. After all, it's summer and fireworks complaints have been non-stop for a week. But these fireworks are different; they are not the usual bottle rockets or lady fingers.

Something must have gone wrong because people are running from the area with panicked expressions; some are falling to the ground and not attempting to get up. As your body begins to feel the effects of an adrenalin rush, your brain realizes these are not fireworks and puts survival instincts to work. Fight or flight is on full display in your mind, like a casino sign flashing “danger, danger, danger.” You quickly identify the source of the chaos. Standing at the edge of the sidewalk leading to the shower house, armed with a rifle and firing directly at your vehicle, an individual has decided to get even for all his failures. The noise created by the impact of the bullets into your truck is deafening.