FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Antiterrorism training is the Army’s “Antiterrorism
Awareness” theme for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015. It focuses on
training Soldiers and civilians to protect themselves and their battle buddies
from any terrorist attacks including an active shooter situation.
To support this, U.S. Army South conducted an active shooter
training exercise as part of the antiterrorism training at their headquarters
building Aug. 13. The exercise prompted everyone in the command to react
appropriately to the incident.
“Active shooters are almost impossible to prevent, but
through training and practice, casualties can be minimized,” said Lonnie Crook,
Army South antiterrorism officer. “Active shooter exercises give the command a
holistic view of the command’s readiness in the event of an actual active
shooter incident.”
When the “shooter,” carrying an automatic weapon, started
his shooting rampage on the first floor of the building, individuals responded
to the incident by either sheltering in place or evacuating depending on where
they were situationally located in relation to the shooter.
Sgt. 1st Class Anwar Anderson, Army South finance noncommissioned
officer, was in his office in the east wing of the building when the first
shots were fired.
“The first thing we did when we heard over the intercom
‘there is an active shooter in the building’ was to start evacuating out the
back door. A few people locked themselves in the office that had a sturdy
door,” Anderson said. “We evacuated the building and hid behind a trailer to
give us concealment and then moved off to a different hiding spot.”
The training exercise was intended to be a surprise to Army
South headquarters employees, forcing them to make quick and on-the-spot
decisions on whether to run, hide or fight.
Prior to the active shooter scenario, Crook explained to
Army South Soldiers and civilians that during an active shooter incident,
individuals should evaluate their options and choose the one that best suits
their situation: run, hide or fight to save their lives.
“Fight is the last resort. If it’s time for you to fight,
your life is in imminent danger. That means you run or hide,” said Crook, who
is in charge of active shooter training for Army South. “Run is the preferred
method, but it might not be your best option. Hiding might be your best option.
You need to make that decision on what you are going to do in that situation.”
After the active shooter scenario was over, Army South
headquarters personnel came together to review and discuss the events that
transpired during the training.
Participants of the exercise agreed they made the right
decisions during the training that would have saved their lives in a real world
active shooter situation.
“The training was effective. It reminded people to know
where the exits are and where the closest route out of the area you are in,”
said Maj. Jaime Navarro, chief of current operations for the Army South medical
directorate, during the action review session.
Active shooter training provides participants the
opportunity to practice and be prepared on how to respond to an active shooter
incident at work or outside of work.
“An active shooter exercise is not a fire drill,” Crook
stressed to members of Army South headquarters, reminding everyone to react to
the active shooter drill as if it was real and to think about their actions
before they react.
“You need to be aware, you need to be prepared and you need
to be flexible on whatever actions you decide to take,” he added.