Photo By Tech. Sgt. Victoria Nelson | Master Sgts. Andrew Rothstein, a flight chief with the 157th Security Forces Squadron,...... read more read more
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Simulated gun shots rang out from the logistics readiness hangar at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire. Members of the 157th Security Forces Squadron flew to the scene, apprehended the gunman and attended to all injured personnel.
In addition to the base support, four local fire departments including Portsmouth, Newington, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Dover Fire and Emergency Services all responded to the exercise scenario in conjunction with both the Portsmouth and Newington Police Departments.
“Our biggest focus today is establishing the command and control and working with other agencies,” said Maj. Michael Petrin, 157th SFS commander.
Command and control is the brain of the Active Shooter Emergency Response. The designated commander coordinates actions from every supporting entity and all agencies are dispatched according to the needs of the developing scenario.
“Establishing command and forming a staging area are the first concerns,” said Petrin. “We’ve seen in recent real-world incidents, everyone just came straight to the scene and there was no overarching command. In the long run, not having a lead agency or the on-site organization ended up significantly limiting the response and lives were lost.”
Ensuring all organizations are trained and can communicate with one another are integral pieces to conducting an immediate and successful response mission.
“Often different organizations communicate in different languages,” said Senior Master Sgt. Frank Perry, the NCO in charge of the 157th Wing Safety Office. “They act and move in the same way but have different terminology. This exercise gives us a chance to make sure we understand each other and are working from the same page.”
This is the first time defenders with the 157th SFS have participated in an exercise with civilian forces on the installation.
“This is the first time we have done a joint active-shooter training with one external department, never mind two police departments and all of the fire teams,” added Petrin. “This is a big step into further integration.”
In addition to developing the command center, ASHER training also provides base defenders with critical repetitions to ensure they are ready for any incident at any time.
“This exercise is also tactical practice for defenders,” said Petrin. “This is probably the most complex building on base, so they have to manage different types of hallways, locked doors and badge-access areas.”
The exercise wrapped up seamlessly and all organizations agreed, they gained valuable insight, network connections and confidence in the joint team’s response capabilities.
“In the end we fight like we train,” said Perry. “Today was a success in set up and execution with everyone working as one unified command.”
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2024 12:54 |
| Story ID: | 469401 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, NH, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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