Marines and sailors participated in an active-shooter drill at Evans Branch Medical Clinic April 22 aboard Camp Foster.

The drill provided service members with an opportunity to practice standard operating procedures for an active shooter, according to Navy Lt. Gwendolyn Gentry, operations officer for 3rd Dental Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and organizer of the active-shooter drill. In the event of a real active shooter, we want our personnel to know exactly what to do, according to Gentry, a Savannah, Georgia, native.

The drill began when a subject entered Evans Branch Medical Clinic and simulated firing rounds inside the building. All personnel took action by following the standard operating procedure for an active shooter. “Our personnel are taught to run, hide or fight,” said Gentry. “It just depends on the situation, which is different every time.”

Camp Foster’s provost marshal office and other law enforcement agencies were immediately notified and soon arrived on scene to find and apprehend the shooter.

Law enforcement teams practiced sweeping the different floors of the clinic, clearing rooms and hallways as they would in a live scenario. After law enforcement found and apprehended the shooter, all personnel involved were critiqued on their performances.

“Evaluations are an essential and crucial part of this training event,” said 1st Lt. Gilbert Perez, a Los Angeles, California, native and officer-in-charge for Camp Foster’s PMO. “We find out our strengths and weaknesses, and we use that to better prepare ourselves for the future.”

Training exercises such as active-shooter drills allow Marine Corps Installations Pacific to save lives and continue to be the strength behind America’s ability to respond quickly to crisis in the Asia-Pacific region.