
UTC gathered local agencies to prepare for an active shooter event on campus. Photo by Angela Foster.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga recently hosted a weeklong training session that brought together law enforcement officers, school safety personnel and emergency responders from across Tennessee and beyond.
The training was coordinated by Jason Patty, UTC’s emergency response coordinator, Sgt. John West and Kelly Vendon, a former Special Forces operator and federal air marshal.
Participants represented agencies and organizations including UTC Police, University of Tennessee Police at Knoxville, Chattanooga Airport Police, Chattanooga Housing Authority Police, Red Bank Police, Signal Mountain Police, Chattanooga Police, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Hamilton County Department of Education school safety personnel, Girls Preparatory School and two civilian representatives from Montana public schools.
Over four days, participants worked through progressively advanced firearms instruction, building-clearing techniques and active shooter response training. On the fifth day, they took part in full-scale scenarios at the UTC Library and Maclellan Gym, putting their training into practice in realistic emergency situations.
