SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — From the scenic view to slot machines, the Snoqualmie Casino is designed to be an escape from the city. Unfortunately, no escape is immune to the realities of the world we live in, which is why casino leaders are taking steps to prepare in case of an active shooter situation.
“It’s unfortunate that this is the world that we live in that we have to have this type of training but it’s a core tribal value to be able to take care of your work family, your tribe, and that’s what this training is about,” said Brian Decorah, the president and CEO of Snoqualmie Casino
Decorah found himself in Las Vegas the same day a mass shooter killed 58 people at a music festival in October 2017.
“I was never in any danger but at the time I didn’t know it. That gave me the context to say we need to prepare our staff on how to prepare for these situations,” Decorah said.
His experience in Las Vegas led to a meeting between tribal leaders, local law enforcement and casino staff. The purpose was to dive into the world of active shooters and revisit a now too familiar tactic: run, hide, fight.
A presentation is one thing, but gunfire is another. During the meeting, a police officer unloaded four blank rounds unannounced.
Deron Roberts is in charge of security for the Snoqualmie Casino. He's also a law enforcement veteran who spent two decades with the FBI. He said the gunfire wasn't a stunt, but rather a real-world example that gunshots change everything, even if you know it's coming.
“My goal is to prepare my team so that they’re not wobbly those first few seconds if we have a crisis occurring on the casino floor,” Roberts said.