More than 50 members of the Airdrie RCMP took part in specialized training in February, which allowed officers to quickly assess and deploy in a mock imminent threat circumstance.
The training program – called Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) – was developed by RCMP in response to a number of tragic mass shootings in recent years in both Canada and the United States.
According to Airdrie RCMP Media Liaison Constable Francine Hennelly, IARD was developed as an alternative to traditional police response to a volatile situation.
“Prior to this type of response, our emergency response team would be called before members would enter into an active threat situation,” she said.
IARD involves members of law enforcement acting quickly when responding to a volatile or life-threatening situation. Members are able to act quickly when there is a chance of the situation deteriorating and someone being killed or gravely injured.
IARD trains officers to take control of a situation – including one that involves an active shooter – and take whatever immediate action they deem necessary to protect public safety.
Airdrie RCMP Corporal Troy Switzer organized the training for Airdrie RCMP. Switzer is an RCMP Subject Matter Expert in IARD. An Airdrie school was used as the location for the two-day training sessions, in part because a number of recent shootings in North America have occurred at schools.
“This was a great opportunity for our members to gain intimate knowledge of the school’s layout while IARD training,” he said.
Switzer said he was “very pleased” with the results of the two-day training sessions. Ten RCMP Subject Matter Experts from around the province assisted in training the Airdrie members in IARD.
