The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Campus Resilience (CR) Program, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), convened the fourth Regional Tabletop Exercise for Institutions of Higher Education (RTTX) on February 25, 2019, at Florida SouthWestern State College.
The event brought together more than 120 participants representing 30 colleges and universities from the Fort Myers, Florida area, including institutions from Georgia, South Carolina, and Ohio. During the event, participating colleges and universities worked through a moderated exercise scenario and an after-action session focused on an active shooter incident.
Building upon the success of the National Seminar and Tabletop Exercise (NTTX), the regional events are hosted multiple times per year, focusing on a risk or threat(s) specific to institutions of higher education (IHEs) within a geographic region. The one-day event focused on a human-caused threat scenario, specifically an active shooter incident on campus offered as part of the Campus Resilience Program Tabletop Exercise Series (TTX).
“The RTTX offers an opportunity for IHEs to experience a wide array of emergency management and resilience efforts in action from across federal, state, and local levels,” said Executive Director for Academic Engagement Trent Frazier. “This type of event allows the Department and IHEs to work together to address specific needs of regional academic communities.”
The event also included a learning session delivered by the Federal Bureau of Investigations on active shooter trends, metrics, and how institutions can prepare and recover from an active shooter incident. Florida SouthWestern State College Vice President for Administrative Services, Dr. Gina Doeble welcomed attendees to campus. Participants also included representatives from federal, state, and local departments and agencies that support campus resilience.
To learn more about the RTTX and access previous RTTX event materials, visit: https://www.dhs.gov/rttx.
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