Active shooter response tested at YARS Published July 27, 2016 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- “This is only a drill. This is only a drill.” Amplified by a megaphone, Senior Master Sgt. Paul Boothe’s voice echoes through the lobby of the base supply building here, the morning of July 26, 2016. “Exercise. Exercise. Exercise.” The phrase indicates to base personnel that a training exercise is about to begin. For a few seconds, an eerie silence hangs in the room before Master Sgt. Michael Skraba, training manager for the 910th Security Forces Squadron, shatters it with an eruption of gunfire as he shoots blanks from an M-4 training rifle. The first few rounds draw startled noises from building workers, followed by the sounds of footsteps and doors shutting quickly. Skraba is dressed in a nondescript sweat suit, a black facemask and a bright yellow reflective training vest, portraying an active shooter for a base-wide exercise. “It was a little eerie, dressed up in that gear and walking through the building like that,” said Skraba. “But we felt the exercise would be more beneficial if we could make it realistic.” As Skraba traipses through the building firing more blanks, Earle Walker Jr., building manager for base supply, is locked in his office calling the 910th Security Forces Squadron to report the situation. Boothe, superintendent of the 910th Inspector General Inspections Directorate, supervises the exercise to observe how building workers and first responders handle the situation. “The overall goal of this scenario was to exercise, evaluate and improve the installation's ability to prepare for and respond to an Active Shooter incident at YARS,” said Boothe after the exercise. In previous active shooter exercises, coordinators have used training weapons with built in sound effects or 2X4 boards smacked together to simulate gunfire, but the noise wasn’t loud enough to alert all building occupants. This was the first time blank rounds were used for an active shooter exercise at YARS. WIT members said that the blank rounds were very effective, carrying from the lobby of the building, where they were discharged, to the far end of the building, getting the attention of all occupants. Though effective, using blank rounds required extra precaution from exercise coordinators. During the scenario, Skraba was escorted by 910th Security Forces Squadron Quality Assurance Program Manager Master Sgt. Phillip Brady III, who acted as a bodyguard in case the exercise was mistaken for an actual active shooter incident. Al Navecky Jr. from the Wing Safety office supervised to ensure the scenario was run safely for all those involved. Most building occupants were able to barricade themselves in the far end of the building behind several locked doors, while a few office workers closer to the lobby only had time to close and lock their office doors. The rapid reaction of the building’s occupants kept Skraba from finding any simulated victims. Just a few minutes after Walker placed the 911 call, a Security Forces fire team of Tech. Sgt. Richard Lape and Staff Sgt. Marcus Weisbarth entered the lobby with M-9 training weapons at the ready. They immediately spotted Skrabra searching for building occupants at the end of a long hallway and vocalized the simulated discharge of their weapons, neutralizing the active shooter. Master Sgt. John Falfas, physical security program manager for the 910th Security Forces Squadron, managed the exercise from the SFS perspective, ensuring building managers and base defenders were properly tested and responded accordingly. Falfas said that inspectors evaluated four facilities including the supply building with the active shooter, two buildings that followed evacuation procedures and one that followed lockdown procedures. The exercise was also intended to test and practice use of mass notification systems for quickly alerting base personnel to emergency situations. “All the notification systems worked flawlessly, we were able to provide direct guidance to facilities and facility managers,” said Falfas. “As for the response from our Security Forces team, it was extremely fast and effective when it came to terminating the threat. We have well trained defenders protecting our base populace and assets that will respond in a moment's notice.” After Skraba was neutralized, Boothe gathered building occupants for a debriefing. Special Agent Robert Brown from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, who also observed the exercise, addressed building residents on what would take place after a real-world active shooter event has occurred. Once the shooter has been neutralized and victims have been tended to, the entire building would be treated as a crime scene and all building residents as witnesses, said Brown. He cautioned that it may be several hours before the witnesses are released, as investigators would be working to gather as much information on the incident as possible. He stressed that cooperation and mindfulness in not disturbing the crime scene are critical to a successful investigation. The exercise followed active shooter, shelter-in-place and fire evacuation training for building managers, held the week prior. The training instructed building managers and alternates on appropriate procedures for improving the safety of Wing personnel and base visitors during dangerous emergency situations. “I am extremely pleased how the exercise turned out,” said Falfas. “Our facility managers and defenders performed in an outstanding manner.”