Barrow fire officials: No medically ‘preventable’ deaths…

Less than a week after the September 4 shooting that left four people dead and nine injured at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, fire officials said emergency responders at the scene may have saved several lives.

Barrow County Fire Chief Alan Shuman said initial reports indicate there were no medically preventable deaths in the shooting and that all nine injured people have either fully recovered or are on the way to full recovery.

Deputy Fire Chief Brett Skinner defined what a preventable death is from the perspective of the fire department and emergency services:

“A preventable death is the death of anyone who can be treated and saved,” Skinner said. “We use a triage system when we treat these cases. If the patients cannot be saved, which we call a ‘black tag,’ we do not treat them and do not transfer them because it is a crime scene… Anyone who was not labeled a ‘black tag’ was treated and transported and is still alive at this time.”

Skinner said it would be unprecedented in American history for a school shooting to result in no medically preventable deaths.

“In my research and many trainings and courses on this topic, there have been cases where there were zero preventable deaths, but it wasn’t a school shooting. It was the Washington Naval Yard shooting in 2013,” Skinner said. “This is the first known case at a school where there were zero preventable deaths, as far as I know.”

Shuman, who has been with the Barrow County Fire Department since 2012, praised the training the department has conducted to prepare for potential mass shootings so that first responders can quickly treat and transport the injured. He said the training has been going on at the department for several years.

“When a fire chief looks into the crystal ball to see what’s coming and what they need to train for, that’s very much what’s happening across the country,” Shuman said. “Since 2018, we’ve done a lot of drills… In fact, we did a school shooting drill at Russell Middle School last March.”

Shuman also praised the bravery of first responders who went to the school when it was still unclear whether the shooting was still ongoing.

“We’re not waiting until the building is safe and secure before we can go in, we’re going in with the teams that are tracking the shooter,” Shuman said. “They’re going from patient to patient immediately.”

Skinner added that the fire department made sure mental health resources were available to first responders who treated the injured at the school.

“This group went through quite an ordeal. We trained for this multiple times and I hope they were as prepared as possible, but I can honestly tell you that no one can adequately prepare for what you would experience, see, hear and smell in these situations,” Skinner said. “We already had a robust system in place with the crisis management system we put in place a long time ago… Ultimately, they’re OK, but it’s going to take some time to get used to. This is etched in their minds forever.”

Shuman said while he was proud of the work his teams had done on the ground, the department is working to hire an independent firm to evaluate the response to see if there is room for improvement should a similar situation arise again.

Both Shuman and Skinner spoke about the grief the Barrow County community continues to feel following the shooting.

“As someone who was born and raised here in Barrow County, I never thought something like this would happen here, even though we had prepared and planned for such an event,” Skinner said. “As far as the department and responders’ perspective, I know we have a long road ahead of us, and I’m confident that everyone did what they needed to do… I know the community has an even longer road ahead of them. I feel sorry for the kids who have to go back to school, and I know they’re worried about their safety.”

Barrow County Executive Srikanth Yamala issued a statement Wednesday thanking the fire department and other county agencies for their cooperation in responding to the shooting.

“I cannot express my gratitude and appreciation enough to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Barrow County Fire Department, Barrow County EMS and Barrow County E911 – along with the numerous public safety agencies that responded from across the region and state,” Yamala said. “Their selfless actions and dedication truly brought us a light in the darkness that day.”

To hear more from Barrow County Fire Chief Alan Shuman and Deputy Fire Chief Brett Skinner, click play on the video above.