MULTI-AGENCY ACTIVE SHOOTER EXERCISE PLANNED FOR SOUTH WALTON HIGH SCHOOL THURSDAY
November 6, 2023
WALTON COUNTY, FLA— A multi-agency Active Shooter Exercise is scheduled to take place this week at South Walton High School.
Walton County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with the Walton County School District, Walton County Emergency Management, South Walton Fire District, Walton County Fire Rescue and several other agencies will be conducting an active shooter exercise on Thursday, November 9th beginning at noon on the South Walton High School campus.
The goal of the event is to allow various agencies to join together to test each area of practice in a real-time scenario including radio communication strategies, room-clearing techniques, response procedures, identifying potential threats, neutralization methods, emergency medical response, reunification, public information, and more.
“The idea is to bring everyone together to train,” said Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “During these acts of violence, unified response is critical to saving lives and what these trainings are all about.”
No students will be on campus during the exercise and only school staff and participating agencies will be on site.
There will be an increased presence of law enforcement surrounding the school on the day of the exercise and we ask the general public not to approach the campus during this time.
“Our children are our most valuable asset,” said Sheriff Adkinson. “Our purpose is to keep the vulnerable from harm. These exercises are necessary to ensure the safety of our students and educators.”
Residents living within a two-mile radius will receive a reverse 911 Wednesday, 24 hours before the exercise begins.
The event is scheduled to last approximately three hours.