Riverside and Local First Responders Plan Active Shooter Exercise

Onancock, Va – The team members located on the Riverside Shore Health Services campus in Onancock will join local law enforcement, fire and emergency medical service agencies in a campus-wide emergency preparedness exercise on the morning of Wednesday, August 29. The exercise will simulate a workplace violence situation including an armed assailant. Participants in the exercise will use simulated or safety weapons.

With the help of its community partners, Riverside regularly conducts exercises to test and improve its procedures and responses in advance of an actual emergency situation. “Our goals for this exercise are twofold: to coordinate Riverside’s response with first responders, and to give our team members a no-stress way to practice what they should do in such a situation. Ultimately, practicing this scenario will help our team to be as prepared as possible if such an event were to occur,” said John Peterman, Riverside Vice President and Administrator.

Team members will practice recognizing a potential threat, de-escalating a volatile situation, and protecting patients and themselves when a situation turns violent.

Volunteers from the community will assist with role playing. Patients who are on campus seeking treatment will not be involved in the exercise. Access to the hospital and all of its services will remain open during the exercise. Patients and visitors will be reminded of the exercise upon entering the hospital that morning.