Sedona and Village of Oak Creek residents may see armed police officers and first responders in body armor on Wednesday,  Jan. 9, and Thursday, Jan. 10, but there is no need to worry — this is just a drill. 

Law enforcement and first responders will be participating in Active Shooter Hostile Emergency Response training, hosted by the Sedona Fire District. More than 70 attendees will participate in the training, which will be held at Sedona Fire District Station 1 at 2860 Southwest Drive in West Sedona and the vacant Big Park Community School, at 25 W. Saddlehorn Road, in the Village of Oak Creek. 

According to SFD, “this training is for first responders who may be called upon to deal with these types of incidents.” 

“No one likes to consider the possibility that these events could potentially occur in our communities,” SFD Training Officer Michael Duran stated in a press release. 

“But we must prepare for them, nonetheless.” Exercises such as this offer fire and police units the opportunity to train together prior to an event, the press release stated.

“Fire and law enforcement personnel have very different roles in these incidents,” Duran stated. 

“We must train together to appreciate the specific roles and challenges that we face when confronted with this type of scenario.”

Integrated Community Solutions to Active Violence Events, an Arizona-based charitable foundation, will conduct the training, which consists of practical instruction and scenarios. ICSAVE was created by volunteer professionals “united by their dedication to the prevention of traumatic events through education, preparedness training and community outreach programs. It sustains itself entirely through the goodwill of the community, so that it can teach others how to save lives.” 

ICSAVE representatives will be on-site each day of the training from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents with questions or concerns may contact Sedona Fire District at 282-6800, the Sedona Police Department at 282-3100 or the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office at 771-3260. 

For more information about ICSAVE, visit icsave.org.