Mass casualty exercise in Saratoga Springs ahead of Belmont Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Saratoga Springs is in full preparation mode ahead of the Belmont Stakes. Before the Belmont Racing Festival begins law enforcement is practicing what to do in a mass casualty emergency.

Saratoga Race Course welcomes 50,000 visitors on the weekends during racing season. 

Officials said proactive training is all about anticipating potential challenges. It helps them maintain a state of preparedness. They’re staying ready, so they don’t have to get ready.

Saratoga Springs Lieutenant Paul Veitch said this type of training is integral to maintain public safety these days.

“Incidents are going up, they’re not going down. It’s kind of sad to say, but at the end of the day we need to do all we can do on the police side for public safety. So the more training we get to address these issues, the better off they are for us. So that’s why we’re doing this,” said Veitch.

This is the first year law enforcement is conducting these training exercises with real actors, to recreate real-life emergency situations. These Home Made Theater actors are playing bad actors. First up, an active shooter scenario.

“Our directive was to make it uncomfortable, unnerving. And so hopefully I did that. The young man that escorted me off after we finished the scenario, I asked him, ‘Did we make you a little unnerved?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah just a little’. So, mission accomplished,” said Actor John Rayome.

He is retired and worked for the military for 32 years. He’s familiar with these types of real life exercises.

“It gets you as close to the real world situation without being in the real world,” said Rayome, who hopes they will continue assisting in the future. “This is a great thing to do when you’re retired because we can give back to the community and especially give back to Saratoga Springs who has done such great things for Home Made Theater,” said Rayome.

Veitch said training is key with the FBI, New York State Police, Saratoga County Sheriffs, City Police and Fire Departments all involved.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into this. A lot of preparation behind the scenes that no one really sees, whether it’s training or not, but a lot of it is getting a hold of the people that we need to get a hold of. And, like I said, being in the same room and talk to each other so we know what we have,” said Veitch.

He said federal, state, and local agencies will continue meeting once a week to go over Belmont and the regular racing season.