A routine readiness exercise on Malmstrom Air Force Base resulted in confusion across Great Falls Thursday morning.
According to MAFB officials, a training scenario was mistaken for a real-world active shooter event around 10:30 a.m.
The base implemented appropriate precautionary security measures until the mistake was verified, according to a release.
“After today’s inadvertent incident I am confident that if these sorts of events happened in actuality, we have the right procedures in place to respond quickly to save lives and restore order,” stated Col. Jennifer Reeves, 341st Missile Wing commander.
She added she was grateful for the base’s law enforcement partners and the community’s support.
As a result of the situation on Malmstrom, Great Falls Public Schools put all schools under a ‘shelter-in-place.’ GFPS reported the shelters-in-place were lifted at 11 a.m.
Several Great Falls Police officers also responded to the schools to provide security.
A shelter-in-place is defined as a safety precaution taken for possible external threat that is not an immediate or internal threat.
As a precautionary measure, this morning from approximately 10:40 to 11:00, all Great Falls Public Schools were put into…
Posted by Great Falls MT Police Department on Thursday, May 30, 2019
(1st Report, 11:10 a.m.) A training exercise on Malmstrom Air Force Base caused confusion across social media Thursday morning.
Around 10:30 a.m., reports regarding an emergency situation on base hit social media.
The MAFB Public Affairs Office confirmed to MTN News that there was a miscommunication as someone heard an explosion and called dispatch. The explosions were the result of a training exercise being conducted on base.
All of Great Falls Public Schools and the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind are under shelters in place, however, the cause has not been released.
We will update this story as we learn more.
