Coast Guard, partner agencies participate in active shooter exercise

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News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 13th District Pacific Northwest
Contact: 13th District Public Affairs
Office: (206) 220-7237
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Coast Guard, partner agencies participate in active shooter exercise

The U.S. Coast Guard alongside partner local, state and federal agencies participated in an Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP) event Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, on Puget Sound. Coast Guard crews aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-medium practiced vessel maneuvers and transferring personnel to and from the Washington State Ferry – Kittitas. The U.S. Coast Guard alongside local partner, state, and federal agencies participated in an Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP) event Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, on Puget Sound near Seattle. The law enforcement agencies utilized various small boats to board a Washington State Ferry that participated in the training. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Steve Strohmaier) The U.S. Coast Guard alongside local partner, state, and federal agencies participated in an Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP) event Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, on Puget Sound near Seattle. During the training, Coast Guard Cutter Osprey, an 87-foot Patrol Boat, stood by as the safety boat. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Steve Strohmaier)
The U.S. Coast Guard alongside partner local, state and federal agencies participated in an Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP) event in Seattle, Washington Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. Coast Guardsmen practice tactical interdiction methods for use in the event of an active shooter scenario. The U.S. Coast Guard alongside partner local, state and federal agencies participated in an Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP) event Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, on Puget Sound. Exercise participants aboard two helicopters and 12 boats practiced the transfer of personnel to the Washington State Ferry – Kittitas. The U.S. Coast Guard alongside partner local, state and federal agencies participated in an Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP) event in Seattle, Washington Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. Coast Guardsmen practice tactical interdiction methods for use in the event of an active shooter scenario.

Editors' Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard, alongside partner federal, state, and local agencies, conducted a full-scale training operation coordinated as part of the Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP) on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Monday, Sept. 23, 2019.

The program is designed to prepare emergency responders for a potential mass casualty scenario by performing and evaluating tactics and procedures.

"This exercise highlighted the importance of the Coast Guard working together with our interagency partners to practice how we would respond to one of our biggest risks: an active shooter on a ferry," said Paul Stocklin, port security specialist at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound.

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