Earlier this month, the Idaho Office of Emergency Management (IOEM) supported a large-scale active shooter exercise at Malad High School in Oneida County, bringing together 145 participants, including school staff and representatives from multiple local agencies. This full-scale exercise was designed to test and strengthen emergency response capabilities in the community.

Planning for the event began back in March, with four planning meetings involving representatives from each participating organization. Agencies included Oneida County Ambulance, Oneida County Sheriff and Search & Rescue, Oneida County School District, Oneida County Emergency Management, Oneida County Hospital, Portneuf Air Rescue, and the Idaho School Safety and the Healthcare Coalition.

What made this exercise stand out was the community’s leadership throughout the process. Local representatives drove the objectives and planning, demonstrating how this type of event can be successfully and affordably replicated in other rural Idaho communities.

The scenario took place during lunchtime, when an assailant entered the cafeteria and began to claim victims. The active shooter then moved through the gym and hallways before being taken down by law enforcement. Blank rounds were used to simulate gunfire.

IOEM’s Area Field Officer Darin Letzring served as Exercise Director, with Training and Exercise Section Chief Levi Orr as Lead Controller and Emergency Planner Christina Lazar as Lead Evaluator. IOEM’s involvement was important to guiding the exercise planning efforts and evaluations that included other state and regional agencies. Orr and Lazar also led the post-exercise hotwash to gather feedback and identify areas for improvement.

The exercise was a success in enhancing pre-event planning, with benefits that extend beyond this specific active shooter scenario to strengthen overall preparedness for a wide range of potential threats. It also improved organizational integration and teamwork among responders, including communications and law enforcement tactics. School staff increased their readiness for active shooter and lockdown situations, while future exercises could expand to cover reunification, behavioral health resources, public information operations, and more.

These efforts demonstrate how IOEM, through collaboration, planning, and hands-on training, is helping make Idaho’s rural communities stronger and better prepared for whatever emergencies come their way.