First responders hold active shooter training exercise at GRCC

Tuesday’s emergency scene on Godfrey Avenue was not real, but it was important to help prepare for a real emergency.

“The purpose of [Tuesday's] active shooter exercise is to simulate and prepare for [a] potential real-life situation. It's not conducted to incite fear, but to enhance preparedness and to help understand how to respond as effectively as possible in a real-life situation,” Grand Rapids Community College Police Chief Rebecca Whitman said.

GRCC teamed up with the Grand Rapids Police Department to simulate an active shooter situation at the Tassel M-TEC campus.

The drill was organized by Grand Rapids Community College and the Grand Rapids Police Department

"GRCC's partnership with the city of Grand Rapids is crucial in an event like this," Chief Whitman said.

Other area police departments, medical responders and the Grand Rapids Fire Rescue Team also participated.

"So, not only did we practice how we would respond to an active shooter [Tuesday], but this also helps us build those relationships and to have improve our coordination and communication for any other type of incident that may occur in our community," Grand Rapids Emergency Manager Allison Farole said.

"We don't work with each other's teams often, but as I hope we see...with the debrief, that they were able to integrate those Rescue Task Force teams fairly well," Chief Whitman added.

Now, the departments involved will evaluate the drill to see where they can make improvements.

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