Active shooter training facility coming to Bristol after push from officer who survived 2022 ambush

A new facility designed specifically for active shooter training is coming to Bristol.

Bristol police officer Alec Iurato knows the dangers of the job all too well. He was injured in 2022 after fellow officers Lt. Dustin Demonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy were ambushed and killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic call. He was credited for killing the suspect with a single shot, and to this day, he says his training is top of mind when he responds to calls.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen. The unpredictable outcomes that you will deal with as a first responder,” he said.

Outcomes he wants to control as much as possible during potential chaos to save lives. That’s why Iurato pushed for an active shooter training facility, which is now coming to Bristol.

“The unfortunate reality is that we see way too many active shooter situations,” he said.

The facility is funded with a $3.15 million federal grant to get the ball rolling on a design and location. It’ll have an indoor shooting range and a physical ability training center for firefighters. There will also be two floors with changing layouts, like schools and businesses, for example, to keep first responders on their toes.

“We want to continue to change that. Throw our people off. Throw our officers off, the fire department personnel so that they can be the best they can possibly be,” Iurato said.

Firefighters can train with officers on how to get victims out of harm’s way and treated.

“Time is of a critical importance and us having the training so that when we’re going into a situation that we know what to do,” Bristol Fire Chief Rick Hart said.

Iurato said that on the morning of the deadly shooting, he was doing active shooter training and that the firsthand experience showed how crucial it can be.

“We were doing that active shooter training, and we were preparing for the worst of the worst in trying to train our people. Little did we know, we were the ones that were going to be involved in it,” he said.

He says it’s been difficult to talk about that deadly shooting from 2022, but knows it’s worth it to make this facility a reality.

“This is something that means so much to me, and I’m willing to go to a national level in order to get the funds and the training that everybody here deserves,” Iurato said.

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