UHPD has a detailed plan in place to respond to active shooter emergencies. | File Photo/The Cougar
The UH Police Department sent an email Wednesday alerting students and faculty that it had participated in a recent training exercise that focused on active shooter response.
The Safety and Security Exercise, undertaken with other emergency service departments in the city, was a routine exercise aimed at examining the operational response of different departments as they coordinate during an emergency. The specific exercise that was conducted was an active shooter scenario.
“This was a tabletop exercise that presented a simulated emergency scenario,” Lt. Bret Collier, Chief of Staff for UHPD, said. “(It) gave the representatives from different response units the opportunity to consider and discuss how they would respond, what resources they would need and how they would coordinate with other units.”
Collier said this exercise was routine and designed to show how various departments would respond in such a crisis. The email outlines that the exercise was completed for the purposes of safety and security for UH.
UH has an Emergency Management Plan that details the preparedness for and responses to potential emergencies. An “active shooter” scenario is listed as “possible” on a scale of likelihood of occurrence from “highly likely” (winter weather or ice storm) to “unlikely” (plane crash or hostage situation).
In evaluating the impact on the University (public health, safety and reputation), an “active shooter scenario” is rated “moderate.”
2018 has seen 11 school shootings so far with the latest attack being in Kentucky, which took the lives of two and left more than 18 injured.
The University advises everyone to plan ahead in the event of an emergency and has taken steps should these actual scenarios occur.
“It was not in response to any event or threat,” Collier said. “Exercises usually simulate situations that are rare, but require a complex response.”
