Active Shooter Drill Held At U.P. Health System-Portage

UP Health System – Portage worked with various law enforcement agencies Monday to conduct a Live Active Weapons Drill.

Participating agencies included Michigan State Police, Houghton County Sheriff’s Department, Houghton City Police Department, Hancock City Police Department, Negaunee Dispatch, Quincy Franklin Volunteer Fire Department, and the Hancock Volunteer Fire Department.

The purpose of the drill was to prepare the hospital, fire and rescue, EMS, and area police, if a situation like this would occur in our community.

Realistic response times, dispatch correspondence with the hostile caller and hospital procedures when an emergency is initiated were tested during the live roll play event.

UP Health System – Portage and the area emergency services prepared for several months leading up to the drill.

Prior to beginning the simulation, a final meeting was held to ensure all departments understood procedures and expectations.

The hospital says no patients were affected during the drill, and they took every precaution to prepare all visitors prior to beginning the drill.

“I am very happy with the overall results of the Live Active Weapons Drill.” said Kevin Karenen, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator of UP Health System – Portage. “Our departments responded appropriately to the situation, and we are very confident in our area emergency response team’s ability to handle a situation like this in our community.”