TORRINGTON – In a recent announcement, the Torrington Police Department wanted to inform the public the department will be hosting a regional training event at Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) which focuses on law enforcement response to an active threat in an educational setting on Tuesday, July 23 and Wednesday, July 24.

The department announced to expect heavy law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services at the college campus on both dates.

“The law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS staff at the campus will be engaged in multiple reality-based scenarios intended to simulate an active threat in an indoor and outdoor environment,” the announcement explained. “Through coordination with our partners at EWC, the west side of the campus, between the Tebbet Building and Lancer Hall, will be closed to the public during the training. The campus will otherwise remain open for regular summer business.” 

According to Torrington Chief of Police, Matt Johnson, it is important for the public to know the event is a training event only and it will give first responders the opportunity to learn skills to keep the community safe. 

“I think the most impactful truth I have learned about training for first responders is that despite the best of intentions, we don’t rise to the circumstances that we face, we sink to the level of our training,” Johnson said. “Our goal is to provide first responders in our community with a solid foundation of training that they can stand on when they need it the most.”

According to Johnson, there is an extreme importance in being prepared, even if Goshen County is a safe community. 

“As a team, we are hopeful and prayerful that the horrible tragedies that have impacted communities across our country will never happen here, but we want to be prepared and ready to protect the most vulnerable members of our community should they ever need our help,” Johnson explained. “Bringing teams of first responders together to learn common tactics, and then providing them the opportunity to practice in the most dynamic and realistic environment that we can create, is the best way we can prepare for, and help to prevent, a real-life event.”

Like any event, the training event came together as a joint effort, according to Johnson. 

“Putting together a training event of this size and complexity requires a lot of work, planning, and help from different parts of our community. The team at Eastern Wyoming College has been especially gracious to us in offering access to their facility and the support of their staff. We are incredibly grateful for the City of Torrington Emergency Manger, Chuck Kenyon, and the Goshen County Emergency Manager, Thom Bozeman, who generously offer their time, resources, and expertise,” Johnson said. “We also want to offer a big thank you to the role-players who do such an amazing job making this training as realistic as possible and the first responders who made it a priority to attend.”