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Active shooter exercise increases vigilance for Al Udeid Airmen

By Senior Airman Kia Atkins, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs / Published December 17, 2014

U.S. Air Force Maj. Michelle Dimoff, 379th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron, applies moulage to a simulated victim of an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Dimoff is deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The fake injuries create a sense of realism for first responders and enhance the effectiveness of the training conducted. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)
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U.S. Air Force Maj. Michelle Dimoff, 379th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron, applies moulage to a simulated victim of an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Dimoff is deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The fake injuries create a sense of realism for first responders and enhance the effectiveness of the training conducted. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Rivers, 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, enters a building to search for a simulated gunman during an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Rivers is deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Airmen from the 379th ESFS are responsible for clearing a building during an active shooter exercise to remove the threat, allowing medical personnel to respond to simulated wounded inside. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)
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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Rivers, 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, enters a building to search for a simulated gunman during an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Rivers is deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Airmen from the 379th ESFS are responsible for clearing a building during an active shooter exercise to remove the threat, allowing medical personnel to respond to simulated wounded inside. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Gomez, 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, apprehends a simulated gunman during an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Gomez is deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Once the primary simulated threat was removed, 379th ESFS Airmen performed a hallway and room check to verify no secondary threats were present. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)
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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Gomez, 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, apprehends a simulated gunman during an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Gomez is deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Once the primary simulated threat was removed, 379th ESFS Airmen performed a hallway and room check to verify no secondary threats were present. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)

First responders carry simulated victims during an active shooter exercise outside to be triaged, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Active shooter exercises help prepare Airmen to deter, detect and defeat insider threats by increasing their awareness, vigilance and resiliency through initial and recurring training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)
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First responders carry simulated victims during an active shooter exercise outside to be triaged, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Active shooter exercises help prepare Airmen to deter, detect and defeat insider threats by increasing their awareness, vigilance and resiliency through initial and recurring training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)

First responders provide initial treatment to simulated victims during an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The active shooter exercise scenario tested emergency responders’ ability to respond to a shooter and the base’s ability to handle the aftermath of a violent incident. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)
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First responders provide initial treatment to simulated victims during an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The active shooter exercise scenario tested emergency responders’ ability to respond to a shooter and the base’s ability to handle the aftermath of a violent incident. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)

First responders provide aid to simulated victims during an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. During the exercise, the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing security forces Airmen, firefighters and medical personnel were evaluated on their response capabilities to a violent incident. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)
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First responders provide aid to simulated victims during an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, 2014, at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. During the exercise, the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing security forces Airmen, firefighters and medical personnel were evaluated on their response capabilities to a violent incident. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kia Atkins)

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AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar -- Airmen here participated in an active shooter exercise, Dec. 10, to test their threat response time as part of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Check Six training program.

The Check Six program emphasizes that during an insider threat or active shooter event, Airmen have three options: Escape, Barricade or Fight Back. These three options provide two possible outcomes: Life or Death, giving Airmen one chance to get it right.

“Not every scenario is the same,” said Master Sgt. Craig Reeves, 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Check Six installation program manager deployed from Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. “You can train for a certain, specific incident, but even if the scenarios are similar, there are going to be different variables that we might not be ready for. That’s why it’s good to train on different scenarios, so that if an incident were to occur, the people responding would have a broader knowledge base to better handle the situation.”

The base active shooter exercise began with a simulated gunman running down hallways and banging on doors to cause chaos and stir up panic and confusion in the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group Ancillary Services building. Any weak-points, such as unlocked doors, are opportunities for the gunman to exploit.

After a call to the local 9-1-1 base operator was made, Airmen from the 379th ESFS arrived to clear the building of any threats; apprehend the suspect and alert medical responders that the scene is clear.

“After security forces responded to the facility, they made a quick plan and then went into the facility to search for the [simulated] shooter,” Reeves said. “When the shooter was neutralized, the security forces Airmen secured the facility, cleared it with a military working dog, and then performed some initial life-saving techniques to anyone injured inside of the facility while they waited for 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters and medical personnel to arrive on scene.”

When 379th ESFS Airmen made the “all-clear” announcement, firefighters and medical personnel responded to take care of the wounded.

“When we arrived on scene, we took patients and triaged them based on the most critically injured to the most minimally injured,” said Senior Airman Matthew Smith, 379th Expeditionary Operations Group flight medicine deployed from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. “After we triaged the patients, we took all of their vital signs and ensured that all of the critically injured patients were taken to the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group as soon as possible. Basically, we did everything we could to maintain patients’ lives.”

Active shooter exercises help prepare Airmen to deter, detect and defeat insider threats by increasing their awareness, vigilance and resiliency through initial and recurring training.