Crete fire chief says trust and communication were vital in mass shooting response

CRETE, Neb. (KLKN) – First responders and law enforcement from at least 10 agencies joined forces Friday during a mass shooting.

Officials say seven people were wounded by gunfire in Crete.

SEE MORE: Crete man shot seven people in attack on neighbors, authorities say

The scene was full of ambulances, police cruisers and armored vehicles.

Crete Fire Chief Tod Allen said good communication is essential in situations like that.

“We have a great working relationship with Crete PD,” Allen said.

He said police and the state patrol were directing everyone, making it easier to work efficiently.

The massive response is thanks to Crete’s mutual aid.

“That is just our brothers and sisters coming to help us because they know we would do the same if Dorchester calls, if Wilber calls, if Southwest calls, we’re coming with everything they need,” Allen said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to work.”

He said this kind of shooting and response is unprecedented in the city.

But luckily, he said the fire department has trained for this.

“There’s been a few times where we’ve had to have law enforcement protecting our backsides while we’re doing what we do,” Allen said. “And you’ve just got to put your trust in them that they’re going to do their job.”

Allen said first responders take good care of each other after these intense situations.

“We see things that most humans won’t see in their whole life,” he said. “After we had all of our rigs back in service and everything was cleaned up and kind of everybody had calmed down, we brought them into the meeting room down at the station in Crete and we had just a talk.”

He hopes to never see another shooting like that again.

But he would love to take his team for further training in collaboration with other agencies to improve their response in the future.