Multiple Collier County agencies gathered at Naples Church near the Collier Fairgrounds on Monday morning to conduct active shooter and hostile event response training, organized by the Collier County Sheriff's Office.
The simulation involved more than 150 first responders, including members of the Marco Island Police Department, Naples Police Department, Florida Fish & Wildlife, Florida Highway Patrol, Collier County Emergency Management, Collier County EMS, and numerous local fire departments.
"It's critically important that we have a strong posture to response to these kind of events because they are so tragic and they unfold so quickly. It certainly is our hope that we never actually experience an actual response to one of these incidents. However, the outcomes of them are so significant that it is critical that we are prepared, and we do continue to prepare from a training, a policy, a protocol perspective," said Capt. Jake Walker of the Collier County Sheriff's Office.
During the exercise, volunteers acted as bystanders and victims inside the church when simulated gunfire erupted. A masked shooter entered the room, fired additional rounds and ran away. Law enforcement officers then responded, sweeping the building, locating the suspect and eliminating the threat. Dozens of people had specific roles, including some that were killed, shot, injured or assisted deputies in accessing parts of the building.
"The response to the actual assailant, the event was very quick. The identifying, locating, addressing the assailant was very quick," said Walker.
Following the takedown, fire crews, emergency medical services and deputies triaged the injured, transporting victims by ambulance or medical helicopter. Uninjured individuals were questioned by authorities, and a family reunification process was held in the church atrium.
"It hit a little closer to home than I was expecting. ... It’s a training exercise, but seeing the police come in and people laying on the floor — even if it’s acting — was unnerving," said Jordan Foslien, executive pastor at Naples Church and a volunteer for the simulation.
The CCSO and its partner agencies tell Gulf Coast News that they conduct routine training to refine emergency response protocols, ensuring a rapid and coordinated effort in the event of a real-life crisis. The sheriff's office plans to run a similar exercise again in the summer.