USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C o m mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia-S a n t a Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 19, No. 26
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
June 26, 2019
1 Section, 8 Pages
An active shooter exercise took place at the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building April 26. Exercises such as these can help people prepare themselves for a worst-case scenario and acts as a teaching tool for law enforcement.
Order in the Court Active shooter exercise at courthouse prepares a readiness response for worst case scenario Following months of planning and coordination, an Active Shooter Training Exercise was recently held at the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building in Pensacola. The event was orchestrated under the leadership of Circuit Judge Jan Shackelford and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, in full cooperation with the Pensacola Police Department, County and City Emergency Medical Services and Fire Departments, the State Attorney’s office, the Public Defender’s office, the Clerk’s office, various divisions of the City of Pensacola and Escambia County, and nearly 450 staff participants. In a statement given to the media, Judge Shackelford explained, “We are conducting this exercise to assess how our staff, other courthouse agency employees, emergency services, and local law enforcement organizations react to an active shooter in this building. It is something that you hope never happens, but we believe careful preparation and assessment are critical in creating a safe environment, both here in the courthouse
and in the community at large. We plan to evaluate the effectiveness of our interagency communication and coordination, as well as review how our staff members respond to such an event, so that we can continue to improve our awareness of proper safety procedures.” Staff members in the participating agencies had received Active Shooter training previously and in anticipation of the exercise. The catch-phrase of these training sessions was “Run, Hide, Fight.” The choice of which action to take depends upon what you see in any given scenario. Run to get out of the area/building if that is possible. If you cannot run, hide and turn off your cell phone. If you cannot hide, arm yourself with anything you can find and be prepared to fight. All participants in the April training event were aware that the event would be as realistic as possible. No video presentation. No lecture. Although they did not know the details of scenarios, participants were encouraged to think about what they would do in ad-
vance of the event. The seriousness of the exercise was further emphasized when, as participants entered the building that day, each were provided - and ordered to wear - protective earplugs to ward off
any risk of ear injury resulting from the increase in decibels caused by gunfire. A conversation with several participants after the fact yielded common reactions to the exercise: frightening, horrifying, confusing,
Law enforcement as well as court personnel were involved with the exercise.
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chaotic. Had this been a real scenario, it is evident that a normal, routine day in the courthouse would have ended as breaking news and potentially with serious injuries and funeral services. Here is what is real. Anywhere you go – the grocery store, restaurants, movie theaters, retail outlets, places of worship, your children’s school, community parks, sporting events – you and those whom you love are susceptible to sudden and unexpected danger. We can wish the world was different and hope it will never happen to us, but this is our current reality. Judge Shackelford encourages each of us to be diligent in our efforts to always be mindful of our surroundings. With much intention, begin to identify your plan for escape or hiding when at church, your grocery store, your favorite college football stadium. You may want to consider an important discussion with your family which begins with “Do you know what you would do if a gunman suddenly entered this building?”
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