GREAT FALLS – A routine readiness exercise on Malmstrom Air Force Base resulted in confusion across Great Falls on Thursday morning.
MAFB officials say 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.
