Dayton, Ohio – According to a Wright-Patterson Air Force Base official, an active shooter response exercise will be held on Wednesday.
The exercise is set to take place in Area B and is anticipated to be completed by 3 p.m., according to a public relations spokesperson who issued a statement that was posted on the base website.
It is expected that base members and people in the neighborhood of the base will hear the “Giant Voice” loudspeakers and that members and those in the area of the base will be alerted of lockdowns through phone and other electronic messages as part of the exercise. Aside from that, it is strongly advised that base and community residents stay away from the area where the exercise is taking place and avoid calling 911 if possible.
According to the announcement, base employees can also expect congested gate traffic, road closures, and additional security measures.
In addition, emergency dispatch centers in the nearby areas will be told that the base is having a drill.
“All personnel base-wide should follow the guidance received in their active-shooter training. They should know what to do, and exercising is the best way to test those skills. Wing inspection team members will be scattered across the base observing how personnel react,” Roxanne Viney, director of exercises at Wright-Patterson AFB said in the media alert.
According to the spokesperson, the exercise on Wednesday would be the first of two base-wide exercises scheduled for this year.
In recent years, the base has dealt with two active shooter incidents, one of which stemmed from an exercise that was reported as a real-world event. Both were determined to be untrustworthy after thorough investigations.
A 2018 active shooter training session was said to be very realistic, which led to three changes after an investigation.
When an active shooter report was received at a facility that is part of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center in September 2021, the base was put on a lengthy lockdown while base officials investigated the incident (NASIC).
After two people reported hearing a single gunshot at the NASIC site to a security guard, the inquiry into the allegation revealed that there was no danger to the public.