Thanks to a collaboration with Weber State University police, a number of local agencies, including Ogden police and fire, Metro SWAT and Civil Disorder Unit, Weber County Sheriff and Roy City police, will test their responses to a rally and shooting training exercise at Stewart Stadium, Aug. 21 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

WSU’s Office of Emergency Management and Planning conducts regular training exercises, with a full-scale event yearly. This year’s scenario includes an active shooter in the Stewart Stadium Sky Suites Complex during a public gathering at the stadium.

To test and train emergency personnel, the exercise will be as realistic as possible. Volunteers, including students from Clearfield Job Corps Center, will act as rally participants and victims, getting treated at the scene and then transported to McKay-Dee and Ogden Regional hospitals.

The daylong simulation requires cooperation between multiple organizations both on and off campus. Creating those connections during training facilitates coordination in the event of an actual emergency.

This is the first multiagency training with the Civil Disorder Unit.

“Coordinated training allows us to respond effectively in an emergency,” said Dane LeBlanc, WSU police chief. “We are able to test our resources, so we can deploy them quickly in any situation.”

In an effort to minimize undue community concern about first responders converging on campus, the university will publicize the drill through voice and email messages, media and the web.

Following the exercise, the agencies will debrief to evaluate how they handled the various scenarios.

“This is a chance for us to exercise our plan, assess our performance and identify areas for improvement,” LeBlanc said. “It’s an excellent learning opportunity.”

The entire exercise is a drill for a potential crisis that the university hopes will never occur. In the event of an actual emergency, Weber State will issue a Code Purple message. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to enroll in the system that delivers emergency notification by phone, text and email.