National Guard hosts active-shooter training

  • Published
  • By Lee Ross
  • Nucleus editor
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The New Mexico National Guard hosted an active-shooter training exercise -- its third in three years -- on Dec. 10 at the Wyoming Readiness Center.

Army National Guard Lt. Col. Steve Garcia, director of operations and state provost marshal, said a grim scenario was chosen for the training: armed, disgruntled military members enter the building and begin shooting.

"They want to kill as many people as they can," he said. "This isn't anybody off the street. It's not a construction worker or an accountant. This is a trained soldier. The biggest fear is that we have to respond to a highly skilled shooter."

He noted that the training mirrors real-world incidents that have happened at U.S. military bases.

"We have to know how to respond to that, because it could happen," he said.

There were eight agencies involved in the training, including the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department and Department of Homeland Security, he said.

Air National Guard Master Sgt. Sonny Wiseman of the 150th Special Operations Wing was on hand to observe and help with safety. He said he has been involved with more than a dozen active-shooter trainings, but this is the first time he's heard of emergency responders being involved.

After law enforcement completed the portion of the training in which they secured the area, medical technicians from Bernalillo County Fire Department were brought in to see to the injured.

"We're kind of spearheading this for the nation, having medics come in to a hot zone to help out," he said.

The training is designed to help emergency responders complete their training  objectives, Garcia said.

"We're just the venue," he said.