RICHMOND, VA –
Defense Logistics Agency Installation Support at Richmond and DLA Aviation will conduct an active shooter emergency response exercise on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia, May 24. DLA Police and Fire and Emergency Services officials will participate in the exercise.
The purpose of the event is to make sure all DLA and tenant employees, as well as first responders, are ready to react if or when incidents and emergencies occur on DSCR.
“This exercise will evaluate the responses of the police and F&EMS to an active shooter based on their capabilities, provide the DSCR workforce and participant employees an opportunity to experience and respond to an active shooter, and provide the Emergency Operations Center with a challenging event that requires installation-level communication and support,” said William Bullock, emergency manager, DLA Installation Support at Richmond, Security and Emergency Services.
Employees will participate in the exercise by following “Run.Hide.Fight.” procedures. “Run. Hide. Fight.” is a survival tactic used in active shooter situations. Security and Emergency Services conducted four Active Shooter training classes in April and earlier this month to teach employees how to react and employ tactics for survival.
During the exercise, employees and our neighbors from the communities surrounding the installation will hear air horns, the Giant Voice emergency notification system announcements, as well as multiple police, fire and emergency services and sirens in the vicinity of Building 32. Blank gun shots will be used in this exercise, anticipate hearing simulated gun shots within this area.
Employees will also receive announcements, messages and alerts through internal building speakers, and the AtHoc mass notification system.
“As we have seen in recent months and years, there are no boundaries or limitations to the violence an active shooter will go to cause death and suffering in general. The need for these concerns in a military installation environment is evident by the active shooter incidents that have occurred at Washington Navy Yard (District of Columbia), Chattanooga (Tennessee), Fort Hood (Texas), Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston (Texas), Fort Lee (Virginia), and Norfolk (Virginia),” said Bullock.
“Should an active shooter appear on DSCR, it is imperative that our workforce has maximized every opportunity to train and exercise their training to react timely and decisively. Preparation and knowledge will provide employees with confidence in responding to critical incidents. An employee's insufficient action or inappropriate reaction could and will determine whether their families, their fellow workers and they suffer unnecessarily,” said Bullock.