Army Reserve Engineers Train Active Shooter Response

By Staff Sgt. Nick Vidro, Office of Chief of Army Reserve

“God forbid we ever had to execute this in real life.”

These were the words of the Commanding General of the 416th Theatre Engineer Command, Maj. Gen. James Kokaska after executing active shooter response training alongside local first responders at their home station in Darien, Illinois.

The veteran general, with over 32 years in service, spoke about the significance of this training event.

“It was an awesome exercise where we collaborated with the local police department and our local fire department to build strong relationships,” he said.

The training saw law enforcement officers from three surrounding communities converge at the Parkhurst Army Reserve Center to respond to an active shooter. In the officer’s path there were simulated casualties for them to assess as well as Soldiers acting as suspects.

Sgt. Trevor Cook, a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) specialist with the 327th Engineer Brigade, 416th TEC, spoke on his takeaways from the event.

“I thought it was a very good demonstration on what to do during an active shooter situation,” he said. “I feel like I learned a lot.”

Lt. Joshua Schindlbeck, Dupage County Sheriff’s Office, reflected on working alongside Soldiers in his community.

“Doing scenario training like this is very beneficial for both our office as well as the Army, because it gives our officers an opportunity to put into practice everything they’ve learned in training in an as realistic scenario with not only other [police] departments but with the fire department, as well as the Army.”

The Army Reserve continues to participate in joint training with local first responders enhancing readiness and strengthening community ties, ensuring Soldiers and units are prepared for real-world crises.