The 355th Wing hosted an active shooter training exercise at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 6, 2020.
The exercise focused on personnel protection procedures while responding to an active shooter scenario.
“In the unlikely event that this happens, we want to be trained and ready to respond to that threat,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Edward Israel, 355th WG Inspector General exercise manager. “We have a lot of assets on this installation which could make us a target for an active shooter.”
The assets Davis-Monthan values most are its Airmen, families and local community. Protecting those assets, whether from an active shooter event or for COVID-19 health and safety concerns, is significant to every person on base, especially leadership.
“We did not use actual personnel as simulated victims during this exercise because of COVID,” said Israel. “We used dressed up mannequins in order to mitigate the COVID threat and maximize social distancing.”
The scenario placed these mannequins at the base track simulating the active shooter and injured Airmen. Security forces members responded to the threat and neutralized the scene before fire and medical personnel came in to perform self-aid buddy care and treatment on victims based on simulated injuries.
“The training our Airmen receive during exercises like these better prepares them for situations that might occur in the real world,” said Lt. Col. Eric Fleming, 355th Wing Inspector General. “This scenario really showcased what Davis-Monthan Airmen are capable of during a stressful environment and showed us why they continue to lead the Air Force in mission readiness.”
The 355th Wing is committed to being ready at a moment’s notice for any situation at hand, and conducting training operations throughout the year is key to maintaining Davis-Monthan’s high-end readiness.