“Two individuals approached the security desk inside NASIC and reported hearing one gunshot,” said Col. Patrick Miller, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander. “That drove the Security Forces member to call the Base Defense Operations Center and let them know about a potential active-shooter situation.”
This immediately put the base into lockdown.
“Our Security Forces immediately responded to the area, and (firefighters) responded up as well and set up incident command,” Miller said. “After that, we immediately began sweeping the NASIC complex to see if we could identify a potential shooter.”
Upon lockdown, individuals still inside the building turned off the lights, closed blinds, locked doors, barricaded themselves in and stayed quiet in order to protect themselves.
“The people still inside the building did all the things that we train,” the colonel said. “There is a reason we practice active-shooter situations and it’s for occasions like this, because your protection is our No. 1 concern.”
Miller praised the NASIC personnel and other individuals who waited safely for Security Forces to find them.
“They did the right thing by blocking themselves in and held down the fort while waiting for our Security Forces teammates to sweep through the facility and get them out and to a safe zone,” he said.
After a primary and secondary sweep, nothing was found inside the complex.
“Some people may think that was a lot to do about nothing, but it’s not nothing to the folks involved in that event,” he said.
Miller thanked local municipalities and law enforcement for offering their assistance. He also credited the individuals who were inside for remembering their training and doing the “right thing” during an active-shooter scenario.
Maj. Christopher Foti, 88th Security Forces Squadron operations officer, praised the efforts of first-responder teams and highlighted the importance of training scenarios.
“Training scenarios help develop our foundational skills and foster communication with other responding agencies, which ultimately allowed us to effectively respond to the complex situation we found ourselves in,” he said. “Our ‘Defenders’ immediately took action and responded exactly how we expect them to…going above and beyond to ensure the safety and security of everyone in the affected area. The entire first-responder team, from both on and off-base entities, came together quickly to support each other and focused on protecting the base.”
Miller stressed the importance of ensuring that every individual’s contact information is up to date so they can received accurate updates via their AtHoc account.
“This is why we urge you to update your information in the AtHoc application with current phone numbers or emails,” he said.
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