Kirk Imperati Sheriff at Dutchess County | Official website
Kirk Imperati Sheriff at Dutchess County | Official website
More than 110 participants from 24 agencies took part in a comprehensive Active Shooter Hostile Event Response (ASHER) training exercise, coordinated by the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response at Arlington High School in LaGrange. This exercise aimed to enhance preparedness and ensure integrated response capabilities among local emergency responders, school staff, and community members.
County Executive Sue Serino stated, “In the face of uncertainty, preparation can be our greatest ally. Today’s active shooter training brought together the multitude of agencies who would respond to such a situation if it should ever occur, and gave them the opportunity to work together, assess resources and expose any gaps that would need to be corrected. We are grateful to all who were involved, as it was a massive undertaking that ultimately helps to ensure a swift, effective and compassionate response to save lives. Dutchess County will continue to bring together our first responder community to ensure our readiness is always sharp and we are doing everything possible to keep our residents safe.”
The event marked the first operational exercise conducted on this scale in Dutchess County. It simulated an emergency scenario allowing participants to practice and refine their response strategies in a controlled environment. The drill included law enforcement officers, fire department and EMS personnel, school administrators, public information officers, as well as volunteers acting as students and staff.
Participants engaged in a simulated active shooter situation within the school premises. The exercise tested coordination between different responding agencies and implementation of emergency protocols—particularly focusing on resource requests; response times; victim movement safety; and public information management. Mental health professionals were present throughout the day for first responders dealing with stressful situations.
Evaluators observed the event throughout the day identifying gaps. A debriefing session followed where evaluators provided feedback highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.
Agencies represented at today’s training included:
- Arlington Central School District
- New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
- Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office
- Dutchess County Executive’s Office
- Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office
- Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health
- VA Hudson Valley
- Town of LaGrange Supervisor’s Office
- Medical Reserve Corps of Dutchess County
- New York State Police
- Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department
- City of Poughkeepsie Police Department
- East Fishkill Police Department
- Hyde Park Police Department
- City of Beacon Police Department
- Arlington Fire District
- City of Beacon Fire District
- Beekman Fire District
- Fairview Fire District
- LaGrange Fire District
- Pleasant Valley Fire District
- City of Poughkeepsie Fire District
- Union Vale Fire District
With ACSD students at the school for summer activities, organizers limited today’s drill to one specific area without interfering with student activities. ACSD had alerted families and community members about the event beforehand.
ACSD Superintendent Dr. Phil Benante commented, “The safety of our students and staff, as well as transparent and timely communication are top priorities for our district. This exercise allowed us to practice these skills, assess our efforts, and further strengthen our emergency response. I would like to thank the Dutchess County Office of Emergency Response for coordinating today’s event.”
The ASHER event is part of Dutchess County's Domestic Terrorism and Targeted Violence Prevention Plan mandated by New York State requiring counties have mechanisms for training threat recognition assessment prevention. In April DER hosted a four-day “Active Threat Integrated Response Course,” followed by a tabletop exercise in May with ACSD leadership state county officials partner agencies.
DER Commissioner Dana Smith remarked,“We are grateful to all those who participated today bringing all these agencies together helps people understand resources available how activate quickly reduce harm allows identify critical needs get right resources place prepared hostile event happens joint events help plan improve overall response methodology ensure cohesive response emergency.”
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