Williston Basin International Airport Schedules Active Shooter Training

Williston, ND – The Williston Basin International Airport (XWA), in conjunction with the Williston Police Department and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), will conduct active shooter training on Wednesday, Sept, 2 at 9:30 a.m.

The exercise will be held within the commercial terminal and will not cause any disruption to normal operations. The facility will be open during the exercise; however, designated areas will be identified.

"This exercise will take place at approximately 9:30 a.m. after the morning commercial flight departs," explained Anthony Dudas, Airport Director. "We ask that the public only attend if they have a need to be within the terminal such as renting a car, etc."

The exercise is scheduled to take one hour.

Notifications describing the exercise will be posted at terminal entrances the day of and announcements will be made over the building's public address system informing passengers and citizens who may be in the terminal that this is only a drill.

"The purpose of the exercise is to train airport terminal employees for an active shooter event in a safe and controlled environment," added Dudas. "This training is important for airport staff and tenants to get real world experience should an active shooter enter our facility."

Blank ammunition will be fired within the facility to provide realistic gunfire sounds and to provide airport personnel an opportunity to understand situational awareness and potential reactions.

Media is invited to cover the training.

For more information on this story, please contact Anthony Dudas, Airport Director, at 701-875-8594 or [email protected].

For future XWA updates and news, please follow XWA on Facebook (@flywillistonXWA) and Instagram (@xwaairport).

For more information on XWA, please visit http://www.flywilliston.net.

The Williston Basin International Airport is located at 14127 Jensen Lane, Williston, ND 58801.