On Tuesday March 17, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise to assess the Depot’s emergency response protocols. This exercise will simulate an active shooter scenario unfolding at the Marine Corps Exchange (MCX).
The exercise will be conducted during normal working hours. In addition to the response to the MCX by base and local emergency agencies, many base offices and sections will participate by applying the active shooter response framework, “Run-Hide-Fight” in their respective buildings and workspaces.
Residents will also hear emergency mass notifications announced from speaker towers and may see or hear a range of exercise resources, from emergency response vehicles to military personnel or civilians whose simulated injuries allow medical personnel to practice appropriate triage measures for a mass casualty event.
Residents can expect some degree of interruption to normal operations on the morning of Tuesday March 17th as security measures are increased and as response agencies are deployed in support of the exercise.
Parris Island’s command asks for your patience and cooperation.
Here are several important considerations for our residents tied to execution of the exercise:
• MCX services to include access to vehicle gas pumps and parking areas on the north and south side of the MCX will be unavailable/inaccessible from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. During this time, only exercise support personnel and participants are authorized to be in vicinity of the MCX and its adjacent parking areas.
• Security operations at the MCRD Parris Island Main Gate will be briefly impacted. Residents entering or departing the base between 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. may encounter delays in traffic flow.
• Motorists are asked to avoid Wake Blvd and Malecon in the immediate vicinity of the MCX between 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
• Some base support agencies, including the CDC, may actively participate in the exercise, and implement their internal emergency procedures in coordination with the base-wide exercise.
• The Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Emergency Services 911 Dispatch Center will operate as normal during the conduct of the exercise. Should an actual emergency occur on the base during the exercise, call 911 and first responding agencies will respond as appropriate.
If you have any questions, please contact the G-3 Protection Division (Mission Assurance) at 843-228-2035 or 4765.
