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# Active shooter drill prepares workforce for worst case scenario

By Nancy Benecki

                FORT BELVOIR, Va.  –              
As of Oct. 4, there were 604 mass shootings in the United States, according to the Mass Shooting Tracker website, with a mass shooting defined as an incident of violence in which four or more people are shot.

The Defense Logistics Agency held an active shooter drill Sept. 27 at its McNamara Headquarters Complex so employees could learn what to do if a shooting situation happened in the building.

The Defense Department requires DLA to conduct full-scale exercises, said Carlton Dickens, emergency manager for the HQC.

The training is encompassing and is beneficial for both employees and police, he said.

“The training touches on everything from lockdown to evacuation to run-hide-fight,” Dickens said.

This was the first drill since the COVID-19 pandemic, which means there were a lot of new employees and supervisors who are still learning DLA safety procedures, he added.

The drill started with reports of a person waving a gun near the Child Development Center at 8:02 a.m. HQC Police, armed with fake weapons to keep the exercise separate from any potential real-world emergencies, responded to the situation and placed the HQC in lockdown by 8:12 a.m. There were two shooters in the drill, one was secured at 8:26 a.m. and the second at 8:45 a.m.

Most of the action took place in Pods 1-3 on the first through third floors. About 30 volunteers acted as victims and served as observers during the drill. Victims laid on the floor, some crying out for help, some unconscious, most covered in fake blood and wounds. They were transported to Fort Belvoir Hospital for triage and treatment, said James Johnston, DLA’s antiterrorism officer. Observers assessed police and employees’ response to the violence and evacuation directions.                 During a wrap-up meeting after the drill, James Johnston, left, DLA’s antiterrorism officer, presents Kristina Byrnes with an award for participating in the drill as one of the shooters in a drill held by the Defense Logistics Agency Sept. 27, 2023, at its McNamara Headquarters Complex in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Jim Profita, division chief for security and emergency services for DLA Installation Management, presents Spencer Storer, far right, with a certificate for serving as a shooter during the drill as well. (Photo by Christopher Lynch)                            Active shooter drill prepares workforce for worst case scenario                            During a wrap-up meeting after the drill, James Johnston, left, DLA’s antiterrorism officer, presents Kristina Byrnes with an award for participating in the drill as one of the shooters in a drill held by the Defense Logistics Agency Sept. 27, 2023, at its McNamara Headquarters Complex in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Jim Profita, division chief for security and emergency services for DLA Installation Management, presents Spencer Storer, far right, with a certificate for serving as a shooter during the drill as well. (Photo by Christopher Lynch)            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Chris Lynch DLA PhotographerVIRIN: 230927-D-HE260-1083

“Volunteers are what made this happen. Without volunteers, we didn’t have victims, we didn’t have observers, we didn’t have the essential and vital resources that are needed to execute a well-planned-out exercise like we had,” Johnston said.

Planning for the drill started in January, he added.

Real world shooting incidents have already affected a number of people who work at the HQC. Frank Cole, an engineer at DLA, said it was his first week on the job at the HQC. He was working at the Washington Navy Yard 10 years ago when an actual shooting happened at the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters.

“This is important,” Cole said before being evacuated during the drill, adding that these events help put into practice what employees learn during online training.

Elizabeth Martin, a management and program analyst with DLA Installation Management, is a member of the Park Valley Church in Haymarket, Virginia. Police arrested a man with a loaded handgun and an additional magazine at the church Sept. 24.

Martin said some volunteers from the church saw the suspect acting suspiciously and reported him to police. No one was injured in that incident.

“I think exercises like this help us practice,” Martin said, adding that realistic elements like screaming victims and sounds of gunfire during drills can help employees not panic in a real-life emergency.

This year’s drill featured an insider threat scenario with two domestic violence extremists, said Jennifer Starling, lead for DLA’s Insider Threat Incident Response Group.

In addition to testing the response of DLA employees and local emergency services, the scenario encouraged people to consider insider threats, she said.

It’s a good idea to check in with coworkers who may be acting out of character or reach out to the insider threat program representatives to report concerns, she added.

One of the first lessons learned from the drill is that more training is needed on the run, hide or fight concept, Johnston said.

“We have to ensure people have muscle memory in these situations because it doesn’t just apply on the complex. It applies in their personal lives, too. It’s what allows them to understand what people are going through or how to respond when they read about incidents in the paper,” Johnston said.

It’s also important to “think left of boom,” when there is suspicious activity or something that warrants reporting, he said. Employees should be familiar with suspicious activity reporting protocols and not hesitate to use them, he added.

“If we see something, we have to not only say something, but do something and that means report it. We have to take action,” he said.

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