Ft Bliss officials say post is prepared for emergencies, shootings

This week’s mass shooting at Ft. Hood is raising questions at military installations around the country. So what would happen if the unthinkable happened here, at Ft. Bliss?

It’s not a pleasant thing to consider, but post officials have said there are measures in place to immediately respond to anything like an active shooter on Fort Bliss.

In the wake of the most recent Ft. Hood shooting, the Army has said that steps taken since the 2009 shooting helped to prevent this one from being even worse.

New training and notification systems were used to respond quicker and to spread information faster, they said.

So what about here in the Borderland?

Lt. Colonel Lee Peters said in an emergency, a loudspeaker system on post can be used to provide notification and instructions, and there are also systems to send texts, emails, and calls down the chain of command, and to families.

“And then we have an operations center,” Peters said, “And they have contacts where every unit that’s on duty or off duty has personnel who’s monitoring the phone, so you could send it either via email or telephonically down to (the unit). And it would basically then, from that position, goes down word of mouth as well, that a situation (arose), and hunker in place where you’re at,” he said.