Local SWAT teams, fire and police departments, and medical evacuation teams by land and air rushed UVU campus on June 14; dodging the explosives and smoke to disarm 12 gunmen holding hostages during a mass-scale training exercise.
“The officers that responded into the campus buildings reacted better than anticipated,” said Detective Kelly Liddiard of the UVU Police Department, “[They] took control and neutralized any threats that they came across faster and better than we as the planning team expected.”
This was the first full-scale simulation with all agencies and medical response teams together. A total of 180 participants and 100 volunteers made this the largest shooter simulation in Utah County.
Although the UVU Police receive few verbal or written threats, they continuously train for emergencies such as active gunmen. The shooter simulation training identified very few errors in the process which will be remedied.
Many organizations were involved, including AirMed, Utah County Metro SWAT, Lehi SWAT, Provo/Orem Metro SWAT, Orem City Fire Department, Utah Valley Communication Center, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Timpanogos Hospital, Lifeflight, and Wal-Mart.
