Combat training prepared Louisville's rapid task force teams for situations like Monday's mass shooting

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As gunshots rang out Monday morning, emergency medical services and fire crews were ready to jump into danger.

Louisville first responders practice active aggressor drills every year but this time there was no drill. It was a time to rely on training and instincts as lives were on the line.

Before Officer Cory Galloway could get a clear shot at the suspect, the Rapid Task Force teams stood by wearing combat gear and stood with LMPD.

"It literally looks like somebody who's about to walk into a warzone," Maj. Bobby Cooper, with the Louisville Fire Department, said.

Fire and EMS teams jumped into action even without knowing if the situation was truly safe or not as they were tasked with getting to the victims.

"To identify those that are beyond care and any kind of medical care that there might be," Cooper said.

EMS Chief Jesse Yarbrough could only listen as he responded from six miles away and pulled up after the shooting stopped.

"It felt like it took forever to get there," Yarbrough said. "And then when you get on scene, and you see the building and the broken glass and the responders carrying people out, you realize we've just joined a club that no one ever wants to join."

Cooper said the task force provides combat casualty care and officers provide protection for them as they work to keep the victims alive and off to the hospital.

That training helped prepare them for Monday morning. Yarbrough and Cooper said the communication between the departments and the training prepared them for a quick and effective response.

"We don't have the luxury of just hoping this doesn't happen in Louisville," Cooper said.

Nine people were transported to the hospital, including officer Nickolas Wilt, who remains in critical condition.

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