Union County law enforcement and GRH staff practice active shooter simulation
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, October 3rd, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – In any emergency situation, practice and planning can make all the difference, both for victims and first responders. For many, this sort of practice may be nothing more than an occasional fire or earthquake drill, a basic evacuation map put up in a hallway, or a periodic reminder of where to muster during a power outage.
However, more dire scenarios, potentially requiring a rapid law enforcement response against armed individuals, can happen. For such cases, realistic training is invaluable to ensure the quickest and safest possible outcome for everyone involved. To that end, members of Union County Emergency Services, including the Union County Sheriff’s Office and La Grande Police Department, recently collaborated with staff at the Grande Ronde Hospital Pavillion to conduct a scenario-based active shooter simulation.
The training began at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 1, in the Pavillion lobby. Following a thorough safety introduction, staff, law enforcement, and other participants dispersed to their positions, with a small viewing area being cordoned off for observers. The narrative of the training involved an armed individual attempting to confront their spouse (who they accused of cheating on them) in the upstairs office, all while threatening and even shooting staff in the process. The following is a brief summary of how the training played out.
Some staff played the role of victims and directly interacted with the pseudo gunman, while others were instructed to evacuate the building or attempt to hide in place. The scenario began with the gunman (weapon concealed) approaching the front desk and asking to speak with their wife. When staff became occupied with the request, the gunman slipped into a staff only area, and confronted other staff, demanding to know where their wife was. The simulation escalated when a shot was fired, and a staff member taken hostage.
As the shot rang out, GRH staff moved quickly, simulating 911 calls, paging and calling one another, and rapidly communicating that a crisis was underway. Most staff not with the gunman or meant to interact with him per the narrative, evacuated almost immediately or were able to hide in place. As the situation moved to the upstairs office, another staff member was confronted and “shot” in the chest (but survived per the script) after hesitating to say where the gunman’s wife was. At this point, the initial hostage fled as the gunman found and confronted his wife.
By this time, a law enforcement team, clad in full SWAT gear, had arrived and quickly moved upstairs. Entering the office space, the team confronted the gunman who refused to comply with orders to stand down and was quickly dispatched. After both the shouting and shooting ended, the building became quiet as most staff were out, sheltering, or were incapacitated.
One team member stayed near the downed gunman, while the others methodically checked and secured all other rooms upstairs (baring one that’d been left locked by accident), securing any staff that had sheltered in place. Securing the building, the team returned to render first aid to the staff member that’d been shot previously, and the simulation ended soon after.
In the debrief, staff were commended for giving calm and detailed descriptions of the situation and the appearance of the gunman. GRH Participants were further praised for their rapid communication and ability to evacuate and shelter quickly. One employee was so well hidden in his office that law enforcement didn’t even find him on their initial sweep of the building, only coming out after police identified themselves. Other concerns were also discussed, such as proper evacuation routes for certain departments, and how staff should best help others evacuate without compromising their own safety.
The team didn’t pull any punches with the simulation either. Gunfire was intentionally loud and realistic, fake blood was used for injured or “dead” volunteers, and conversation was intense, especially when staff attempted to deescalate the situation. The volunteer playing the gunman went above and beyond in his role, blatantly threatening and arguing with staff throughout the narrative.
Overall, the training ran smoothly and seemingly proved valuable for all involved. Volunteers took their roles seriously and happily worked with EMS, while the primary law enforcement team methodically and professionally handled what would be a dire situation were it to happen for real.
