Bodies were strewn across the floor, wounded and moaning as Bainbridge Public Safety cleared the rooms of the Memorial Hospital Human Resources building. Once the all-clear went out over the radio, it was time for Grady EMS to move in to do their job.

Luckily, the bodies on the ground were OK. They were actors from Bainbridge State College, and the wounds were just elaborate decorations to simulate life-like situations.

What the Hospital aimed to recreate was an active shooter. The mock “code active” was performed as one of the two required disaster simulations the hospital must do every year, according to Carl Barber, human resources manager for Memorial Hospital.

“Most often we do severe weather and things such as that,” said Barber. “But with the environment being what is has been lately…we decided to look at doing a threat danger drill.”

The plan began back in 2015, but after only a small-scale drill, Barber decided to up the situation to see how long response times would take if the hospital needed drastic help.

“One of our concerns over here is what happens if somebody in here starts getting violent with us and we need some help really quick,” said Barber. “So we created the scenario where it turned into an active shooter.”

Not only did the drill assist the hospital in their disaster training, but BPS, Decatur County Sheriff’s Office, Grady EMS and Airlife out of Camilla, Georgia participated as training on their end.

As emergency responders made their way through the building and checked on the “wounded,” they found the actors to have injuries that ran the gamut of severity and parts of the body.

Hospital staff, and staff from Bainbridge Primary Care helped in the care of what were called “walking wounded,” who could leave under their own power. Grady EMS and Airlife cared for those roleplaying as severely injured.

Drills like this are required twice a year, so Memorial Hospital holds theirs every June and December. If a real disaster happens, it counts as one of the two mandatory drills the hospital must perform.

While the injuries were fake, the practice could save lives if an event of this magnitude ever were to happen in the City of Bainbridge.