Tragedies, such as the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday, leave people asking questions. Why did this happen? How could it have been prevented? What if it happened here?

These are the same questions asked by law enforcement.

“Any kind of mass casualty event, both accidental and intentional, is something we do consider,” said Austin Police Capt. Dave McKichan.

McKichan said police have done mass casualty scenario training in the past at I.J. Holton Intermediate School and Austin High School.

“Officers get a chance to see how chaotic the situation can be,” he said. “It also tests out other elements, such as radio communications. There are a lot of moving parts.”

In the event of a shooting, McKichan said law enforcement has the dual role of trying to end the threat and get people medical assistance as soon as possible. Other emergency responders, such as the fire department, Gold Cross Ambulance Service and Mayo Clinic Health System, also have emergency plans in place for mass casualty events.

The challenge, according to McKichan, is limited size and space.

“In a community like this, (should a mass casualty event occur), it would have to be a regional response,” he said. “Victims would probably have to be moved off site if we have something with high casualties.”

Despite some unknowns regarding some situations, McKichan said emergency responders are ready if needed.

“We think about and prepare for a lot more scenarios that may cause mass casualties because we want to be ready to handle it,” he said. “We have a great partnership with other regional emergency responders. We don’t want to see it happen, but we will be prepared for it if it does.”