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Active shooter exercise keeps SFS ready for anything

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Andrew Davis
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  "Bang, bang, bang. Shots fired, shots fired." A group of security forces Airmen race down a hallway into a dark room to confront the unknown.

While this was just a training exercise, the scenario is all too real. The shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, showed the possibility of an active shooter scenario even on a military installation.

The active shooter training was taught by Tech. Sgt. Paul Kilquist, a reservist serving at the 375th Security Forces Squadron and a Collinsville police officer, to a group of security forces augmentees, reservists and active duty Airmen. It showed them how to respond to shooter inside of a building.

"The purpose of active shooter training is to change the Airmen's mindset to actively engage a shooter inside a building," said Sergeant Kilquist. "Prior to incidents at Columbine and Virginia Tech, most law enforcement agencies including security forces mainly responded to incidents with a hostage or a barricaded subject. Active shooter is a situation where people are currently or actively being killed or attacked in a building.

"Rather than setting up on the building, we need to change our mindset and focus to actually going into the building and going straight to the threat to stop people from being killed," he said.

Using his skills as an instructor at the Southwest Illinois Police Academy, Sergeant Kilquist shared his knowledge with his fellow Airmen.

"We regularly train on the active shooter scenario. Working with the local schools and other agencies has taught me a lot that I'm able pass on," said Sergeant Kilquist. "Security forces are the first responders and their actions can be a deciding factor in who lives and who dies. It feels very good knowing they are prepared and equipped to handle any situation."

Non-traditional training scenarios are presented to the trainees to help them realize and react to what would happen in an unrestrained situation.

"The training does not have any specific tactics," said Sergeant Kilquist. "In an out of control situation it's too hard to remember any specific tactics so we throw a number of curve balls at them and see how they react. Their reaction to the scenarios are critiqued at the end and we then build onto their tactics."

The intensive training was well received by the trainees.

"I really enjoyed the training," said Senior Airman Clayton Green. "I feel it prepares us very well for an incident where we may need to use it. Not only does it prepare us for an active shooter situation, but also boosts the camaraderie of the squadron."

For more information or to see a video story of the active shooter training visit www.scott.af.mil.