Naval Medical Logistics Command Prepares to Run, Hide or Fight

Photo By Julius Evans | Emily O’Hara, Anthony Carlisi and Gerrie McClarine assemble the paper assault rifle Antiterrorism Officer Dave Garrison held on his person as he walked throughout the entire building to test the readiness of personnel and to see if anyone would challenge him prior to conducting an Active Shooter Exercise.  

FREDERICK, MD, UNITED STATES

05.10.2016

Story by Julius Evans 

Naval Medical Readiness Logistics Command, Williamsburg, VA

Building security isn’t as cracked up as it used to be, according to a study of active shooter incidents in the United States. In fact, the problem is so prevalent; it has the attention of more than just those who are impacted by it. Congress is listening too.

In October 2015, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz tweeted, “380 Americans have been killed in 294 mass shootings in 2015 alone.”

Not many are more familiar with these statistics than Naval Medical Logistics Command’s Security Manager and Antiterrorism Officer Paul “David” Garrison III. He coordinated and conducted an Active Shooter exercise expressing the immediate-response scenarios “Run, Hide and Fight” here on 20 April.

Although the exercise took place inside the large conference room of the Defense Medical Logistics Center, Bldg. 693 on Fort Detrick, Garrison was wise to notify all appropriate authorities on post and in the building, as to not have a similar repeat to the incident that occurred when Fairfax County Police were not notified of a drill being conducted. Local businesses evacuated while others were placed on lock down as police responded to a report of shots fired. They were responding as if it were a real-life situation. But, it was all just a drill. In this instance on Fort Detrick, advanced notifications alleviated the necessity of a police response.

Decked out in dark shades, a baseball cap, a lightweight rain jacket and several concealed weapons, the exercise scenario began 30 minutes prior to the training event. Garrison entered the building and walked around all three floors. Inside the jacket, tucked into the back belt-loop, was a very convincing cardboard cutout of a 9mm hand gun. He also concealed an assault rifle which was disassembled into three pieces and hidden inside his jacket.

He wore a building badge to simulate an insider threat (completely unsuspicious, except for the jacket on a sunny, spring morning). Throughout the 30-minutes, he was able to successfully conceal the cardboard props without anyone suspecting anything.

Satisfied that no one would approach him, the training event began. Garrison entered the lecture where the audience had gathered and called upon three volunteers to become a part of the scenario that, in a real life situation, might have ended with drastically different results. His first question was if anyone knew the significance of the date. It was the anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings. He then asked if any of the volunteers could tell that he was carrying a concealed weapon.

“I then handed the volunteers each a section of the life-size assault rifle prop cut-out. I also revealed from my jacket five 30-round magazine clips (also cardboard) used with the rifle; pointing out that these clips would be enough ammunition to ‘take out’ every person in the room,” he said. More than 100 people were present for the training. “I discussed a few recent incidents, and I then revealed my second prop, the 9mm hand gun cut-out, and acknowledged that the 9mm was the most popular weapon used in mass shootings. I informed the group that the 9mm was used in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history -- The Virginia Tech incident where 32 students and teachers were killed. I then asked, ‘what if it happened here today?’

From that point, Garrison described and reinforced the Run, Hide & Fight scenarios.

These response actions (Run, Hide & Fight) follow the protocols recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and various Police Forces training material from across the United States. These simple response actions are designed to give victims the highest probability of surviving a deadly active shooter incident.

If you find yourself in the middle of an active shooter event, your survival may depend on whether or not you have a plan. The plan doesn’t have to be complicated. RUN – If there’s an escape path, attempt to evacuate. HIDE – If you can get out of the shooter’s eyesight, evade. FIGHT - As a last resort, and only if your life is in danger . . . whether you’re alone or working together as a group, fight.

Garrison then explained the response victims would likely see from emergency and first responders. Their primary goal would be ensuring the threat was eliminated. The important fact to remember is that at any given point, against all the safeguards put in place, an active shooter situation could develop without prior warning.

“The actual incident will be quick and unexpected, and each individual will need to draw from the run, hide, fight instincts to survive the first few minutes of an active shooter incident before emergency responders get to the scene -- drawing from personal training and instinctive actions,” Garrison said.

• Date Taken: 05.10.2016
• Date Posted: 05.10.2016 12:49
• Story ID: 197771
• Location: FREDERICK, MD, US