• Thad Hicks

New Orleans Salvation Army Participates in Active Shooter Exercise

Kenner, LA (02/28/2015) – Representatives from The Salvation Army participated in an active shooter exercise today near Kenner, LA.  This training event for law enforcement and emergency services was designed to prepare for incidents involving active shooters.  The emergency exercise was conducted at an area elementary school involving Kenner PD, Kenner FD and Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office personnel.  The exercise was quite large involving between 400-600 people (emergency personnel, scenario actors, volunteers, etc).  Area Salvation Army Administrator, Major David Worthy stated, “During any event like this,The Salvation Army would respond to support first responders and potential victims, so when they were planning for the event, they invited us to activate our units as well.”

The Salvation Army's role during this event was to respond with its emergency canteen as well as EDS personnel to provide hydration, snacks, and meals throughout the day.  Two additional "respite stations" were also set-up by Salvation Army EDS personnel to provide hydration and nourishment at other points within the exercise zone.  The area’s recent acquisition, a Ford F-250 Support Truck was also utilized on-site as water buffalo to ensure that continuous fluids were available to all those involved in the exercise.  Major David Worthy believes that the team will serve between 600 and 900 people during this event.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster survivors, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.