Emergency planners, responders and volunteers will participate in an active shooter preparedness exercise at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on March 12. The exercise will be on the UTC campus and is intended to test university and community response procedures during an active shooter crisis.
The exercise will specifically test:
- Situational assessment
- Threat removal and community safety
- Coordination and communication among multiple emergency response agencies
The exercise will focus on the UTC Police Department’s ability to respond to, control and neutralize an active shooter while taking into account public safety, site security, crime scene integrity and coordination of supporting agencies’ involvement.
Emergency preparedness exercises enable public safety agencies to test threat response plans both to increase responders’ familiarity with procedures and to identify any opportunities to improve those plans, said UTC Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Brown, who oversees finance and operations.
“UTC is critical to the community in so many areas and, in contributing to emergency preparedness in the greater Chattanooga area, we are proud to be a leader,” Brown said.
UTC Emergency Services Executive Director Robie Robinson said the drill is one of many UTC conducts every year.
“We are mobilizing with our community partners to prepare for active shooter scenarios so we can be as ready as possible for that kind of incident, which all of us hope never to actually face,” Robinson said. “Because of the increased visibility and presence of UTC Police and other emergency response vehicles during the exercise, it’s also important that we alert the community to the fact a preparedness drill is planned.”
Spring break is March 11-15 at UTC, so classes will not be in session and most students will be away during the exercise.
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Contact: Gina Stafford
gina-stafford@utc.edu or 423-425-4363
