Dan Hawkins, Josh Wilson and several other Public Affairs representatives conducted a press conference at the Heritage Center that was part of an active shooter exercise on Feb. 26. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Kimberly Parker)
During a training exercise on Feb. 26, members of the 82nd Security Forces Squadron responded to a threat where an armed individual had opened fire at the South Chapel. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Danny Webb)
by Kimberly Parker
82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
3/1/2013 - SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Team Sheppard conducted an active shooter exercise spanning two days, Feb. 25-26, to sharpen their skills and practice how to effectively and efficiently respond to the scenario.
At 8:35 a.m. on Feb. 26 the "giant voice" rang out across Sheppard Air Force Base, "Exercise, Exercise, Exercise..." An active shooter scenario had taken place and Team Sheppard immediately initiated lockdown procedures.
During the training exercise, members of the 82nd Security Forces Squadron responded to a threat where an armed individual had opened fire at the South Chapel. The scenario centered around a domestic dispute that escalated into a threatening and eventually fatal situation.
By the end of the exercise, the gunman managed to kill eight people (himself included) and injured seven others.
After the threat was neutralized and the building cleared, base fire emergency services as well as first responders arrived on scene to care for the victims.
"Exercises like this are vital to keeping the Sheppard community safe," said James McVay, 82nd Training Wing Assistant Chief of Plans and Programs.
The exercise itself was broken down into two phases: the incident itself and the recovery phase.
"The recovery phase consists of things like contacting the next of kin and developing a plan to restore the building the incident occurred at," said Doug Standifer, 82nd Training Wing Chief of Exercises and Plans.
During the exercise, several means of communication were used to keep the base and local population informed on the situation.
The giant voice and AtHOC (the bases mass notification tool) were used to keep base personnel informed. The "Straight Talk Line" (940-676-7601) was also used and updated with the latest information.
"As long as your information is current in the AtHOC system, you will receive text alerts, emails and screen pop-ups on what is happening," Standifer said.
Other simulated means of communication also included posts to the Sheppard homepage, local media outlets and Facebook. In addition, initial and secondary press conferences were conducted by the Public Affairs office.
The exercise provided the different agencies across the base an opportunity to work together and improve communication. Making improvements in response times and identifying other areas that need additional training was part of the objective of the active shooter training.
"Overall the entire base participated in the exercise and making sure we all have practice and an understanding of what to do in the event that a situation should arrive is the ultimate goal," Standifer said.
