UT Police Conducts Active Shooter Exercises for Clinical Staff

This spring, UT Police conducted a series of active shooter training exercises in the Main Building’s Lutheran Pavilion. The limited-scale exercises, designed for clinical staff, took place in vacant patient care areas and spanned three days. The exercises, which occur regularly across the institution, were planned in collaboration with Emergency Readiness, Nursing Administration and Environmental Health Safety Sustainability, and Emergency Management (EHSSEM) teams.

Clinical teams participating in the exercises received essential guidance on recognizing and responding to an active shooter situation. Attendees learned to identify behaviors of concern that may indicate a potential threat and received information about institutional support resources.

The exercises were planned to cause minimal disruption to hospital operations and were not visible to patients.
“The training offered participants the opportunity to mentally prepare for worst-case scenarios, ask questions in a hospital environment, and better understand mitigation efforts used by the institution to prevent workplace violence,” said Captain Michael Redmond, who oversees the special events and emergency planning functions of UT Police.
The training reflects MD Anderson’s broader commitment to high reliability. “We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario while working tirelessly to mitigate all risks to never get there,” Redmond said.

Completion and Continued Readiness

Upon completion of the event, participants were equipped with key response strategies, including information on Run, Hide, Fight for non-clinical areas, and Avoid, Deny, Defend for clinical areas as covered in Active Shooter section of Inside MD Anderson under the Safety & Emergency.

“Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive,” Redmond said. “One comment that sticks out was a participant who said our team did a good job with maintaining psychological safety during the exercises and in addressing the needs of workforce members.”

To support continued preparedness, Redmond also encourages departments to set a monthly Outlook calendar reminder to revisit the Active Shooter information provided under the Safety & Emergencies tab on Inside MD Anderson.

To request the Active Shooter exercises, contact UT Police at 713-792-2890. General audience safety presentations are also offered regularly to MD Anderson and UTHealth Houston workforce members and students.