09/05/2026
2026 ACTIVE THREAT/MASS CASUALTY INCIDENT DRILL
Photos include actors and fake blood.
The Painesville City Fire Department recently participated in the 2026 Lake County Active Threat/Mass Casualty Incident Drill, a two-day regional training exercise designed to strengthen the ability of law enforcement, fire/rescue, and emergency communications personnel to work together during large-scale critical incidents.
The training was held on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, and Thursday, September 3, 2026, at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Painesville Township. Nearly 200 police, fire, and dispatch personnel from Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula, and Cuyahoga Counties participated in this year’s exercise.
Now in its ninth consecutive year, the Active Threat/Mass Casualty Incident Drill provides first responders with an opportunity to train together in a realistic, controlled environment. This year’s scenario focused on a heavily populated open-air incident, allowing participating agencies to practice coordinated response operations, patient assessment and treatment, victim extraction, communications, scene coordination, and other critical functions associated with a mass casualty event.
Members of the Painesville City Fire Department participated alongside our law enforcement and fire/rescue partners throughout the exercise. Training of this nature is an important part of maintaining operational readiness and ensuring that agencies can effectively work together when responding to complex incidents that require a coordinated, multi-agency response.
The drill brought together personnel from numerous agencies throughout Northeast Ohio, including fire departments, police departments, dispatch centers, emergency management personnel, specialized medical teams, and other public safety organizations.
The training also included realistic role players portraying injured victims, allowing responders to practice patient triage, treatment, stabilization, and movement under conditions designed to replicate the challenges of a real mass casualty incident.
The Painesville City Fire Department would like to thank the members of the Lake County Active Threat/Mass Casualty Incident Drill Training Group for their continued commitment to providing this valuable training opportunity. We also appreciate the cooperation and dedication of all participating law enforcement, fire/rescue, dispatch, emergency management, and medical personnel.
We would also like to extend our appreciation to the Lake County Fair Board and fairgrounds staff for providing the location and supporting the exercise, as well as the numerous organizations and individuals whose efforts made this year’s training possible.
Exercises such as this reinforce an important principle of emergency response: no single agency can handle a large-scale critical incident alone. Effective communication, coordinated operations, and strong relationships between public safety agencies are essential to protecting our communities.
We are proud to continue participating in this annual training and working alongside our regional partners to improve our preparedness, response capabilities, and ability to serve the residents of Painesville and the surrounding communities.
We thank all of the first responders who participated in this year’s exercise and continue to dedicate their time and expertise toward making our communities safer.
