Macon-Bibb hosts active shooter training at regional airport

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Agencies across Middle Georgia practiced a disaster situation at Macon’s regional airport Wednesday morning.

The FAA requires the airport to do these types of simulations every three years, according to county spokesman Chris Floore.

The county also has to do similar training so leaders decided to combine the two.

Three years ago there was a bomb explosion at the airport.

Before that there was a plane crash.

Wednesday it was an active shooter.

It’s a situation most law enforcement officers actually don’t want to be in, but they definitely want to be prepared in case it does happen.

“We started this back in February or March of this year. It’s taken about four months to bring everything together,”explained Blake Roy, the Operations Manager for the Middle Georgia Regional Airport.

Planning the active shooter simulation was key in determining the response.

“A deputy and a K-9 unit [were] taken out at a check point coming into the terminal building. The shooter entered the terminal [and] injured approximately 20 people,” said Roy.

First responders treated people with injuries while the SWAT team looked for the shooter and improvised explosive device or IED.

“Our main thing when we get to an active shooter [situation] is to stop the threat because if we stop to help [the injured], the gunman is shooting more people or we possibly get shot and we can’t help anybody,” explained Lt. David Freeland with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

Down the street from the terminal, the second shooter left a truck with another IED outside of a building.

The second shooter was inside that building with hostages.

“Every time we can negotiate, we’re going to do so and spend as much time as we can negotiating because if he’s talking to people, he’s not shooting anybody,” explained Lt. Freeland.

The Coliseum Medical Centers and the Medical Center, Navicent Health were also involved in the simulation.

The hospitals sent ambulances to pick up patients.

“To be able to do a big scenario like this was very helpful because usually we just do a lot of our own individual training. A lot of times we don’t get to come together like this,” said Lt. Freeland.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s SWAT Team as well as the people who organized this simulation agreed the simulation went well, but they did see a few areas where they could improve for the next time.

Lt. Freeland added because of the recent shooting in Dallas, there was a plan for some deputies to follow others to make sure no one was attacking them from behind.