For Immediate Release

Monday, April 23, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Bedford Police to Participate in Active Shooter Drill with the Bedford VA Medical Center

BEDFORD — Chief Robert Bongiorno announces that the Bedford Police Department will be participating in an active shooter drill along with police officers from the Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical Center and other communities next week.

WHEN

Tuesday, May 1 at 8 a.m.

WHERE

Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, 200 Springs Road, Bedford (Building 2)

WHO

Members from the Bedford Police and Fire Departments, Bedford VA Police, Billerica Police and Fire Departments, Lexington Police and Concord Police.

WHAT

First responders will participate in a drill that simulates an active shooter situation at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford next month.

Participants will practice a large scale response from multiple communities, including how the hospital would be locked down, evacuation of patients and staff, how the shooter would be contained and neutralized, and how victims would be treated.

The agencies involved will also outline strategies for keeping the public informed during an incident. Patient care will not be interrupted during this drill.

“We want to make residents to be aware that this drill will be taking place so they are not alarmed if they hear what sounds like gun shots during the training,” Chief Bongiorno said. “It is vital for us as first responders to be prepared for this type of threat, as we have seen that this type of event can happen anywhere. I thank the community for their support and our partner agencies for helping to facilitate a drill of this scale.”

Drills of this nature have been conducted at the hospital before, but on a much smaller scale.

###